Sloppy Joe is a real American classic, comfort food the way it’s meant to be. Although I didn’t grow up with the dish, the description of it was enough to convince me. Even the name: I figured something called Sloppy Joe must taste as straight-forward, unpretentiously good as it’s name implies. And it didn’t disappoint. It didn’t disappoint at all.
This isn’t the kind of dish you serve at a dinner party or on a date. No cutlery needed: it’s messy and relaxed. It’s exactly the comfort you need after a long day of work, when you’re really hungry or when life has been hard on you.
I love the smokiness, sweetness and little hint of spiciness in the meat mixture. The soft, fluffy bread is the perfect satisfying accompaniment.
I know there are many variations for Sloppy Joes and for my non-authentic version I like to use the ingredients I simply have on hand. For me, there needs to be Worcester sauce in the beef mixture though, because I love the intense sweet and salty flavor. Sometimes I add some ketchup and brown sugar instead of barbecue sauce, or I add some mustard for spiciness.
I think the key is to really flavor the meat and to add a smokey touch, that’s why I always add some smoked paprika powder. In this version I used red pepper, but feel free to use whatever vegetables you want.
I like to make a big batch at once and freeze the leftovers. That way, ultimate comfort is just minutes away!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 pound (450 gr.) ground beef
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder (optional, but good)
- 2 cups (480 ml) tomato sauce or passata
- 2 tablespoons bbq sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons Worcester sauce
- a few drops of Tabasco (optional, but good)
- 4 bread buns
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add bell pepper and cook until soft, this will take about 3 minutes.
- Add ground beef with paprika powder, salt and pepper and break up meat with a spoon or fork. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until browned and somewhat crispy.
- Stir tomato sauce, bbq sauce and Worcester sauce into the beef mixture. Let this simmer until thickened, while stirring now and then (this will take about 15 minutes).
- Finish with Tabsaco and extra salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the meat mixture on bread buns.
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8 Comments
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Oh wow this looks tasty. Perfect winter comfort food.
Thanks, Chris!
I don’t think I have ever actually made SLoppy Joes! These look great, perfect cold-day-warm-food dinner.
So I (being Dutch) was first?! That means you definitely have to make them now;)
Your sloppy joes are making me very hungry!
That’s good to hear!
The smoky paprika sounds like a fantastic addition! I have to remember that.
It’s definitely worth trying, Lisa!