Who doesn’t need a quick and inexpensive meal idea that everyone will love? Messy and saucy, these sloppy joes fit the bill.
We’ve simmered Beyond Beef with onions and peppers in a tangy-sweet tomato sauce. For this recipe, choose whatever ground meat you like, from beef or pork, turkey or chicken to Beyond Meat’s plant-based ground beef.
These sloppy joes are even better than you remember!
The classic sloppy joe is a simple sandwich consisting of ground beef or pork, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun.
Have you ever reached for a can of Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce? If so, reach no more. This recipe is just about as easy as opening the can, but so much healthier. Did you know the second ingredient in Manwich is high fructose corn syrup, with corn syrup being the fourth ingredient?
It’s a Pantry Party
That’s just what we had in coming up with this recipe. We looked for ingredients we had in the pantry that might make a good sloppy joe sauce.
On the counter, we lined up fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, various types of mustard, barbecue sauce, several hot sauces, sweet chili sauce, peppers, carrots, celery, and lots of spices. We mixed and matched products and finally settled on what we thought would make a great sloppy joe sauce.
mise en place
Here we have everything lined up and ready to make our sloppy Joels. Yes, I couldn’t resist changing the name.
In a small bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard, paprika, sriracha, and garlic powder.
Set sauce ingredients aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add ground meat and brown, breaking apart crumbles as it cooks, stirring often, about 5 minutes. A potato masher is a fun and handy way to break apart the meat at the beginning of the cooking process. Drain well and transfer to a plate or bowl.
Wipe out excess oil, if needed, leaving about a tablespoon of oil to sauté the onions. Over medium heat, when oil is hot, add diced onion and a little salt and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add diced bell pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if needed to prevent sticking.
Add meat back to the skillet, followed by the sauce ingredients. Stir until evenly coated and gently simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until mixture has slightly thickened.
Split the buns and lightly butter the cut sides, if desired. Lightly toast under the broiler, cut side up. Watch closely so they don’t burn.
Divide the meat mixture onto the bottom buns, top with our Creamy Coleslaw or your favorite, and replace with the top buns.
Try other toppings, such as fried onions, cheese, lettuce, and/or pickles. Or just enjoy plain.
Leftovers?
In addition to rolls, this meat mixture is tasty in lettuce wraps or grilled cheese sandwiches, or over rice, pasta, biscuits, nachos, or baked potatoes.
Enjoy!
Sloppy Joel
Yield 6 Servings
Free of: gluten and top 8 allergens.
Every meaty bite is messy and delicious!
Ingredients
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sriracha
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 pound ground meat, such as beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or Beyond Meat's plant-based ground beef
1 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil, if needed
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced bell pepper, green or red
6 hamburger buns (see recipe notes)
2 cups creamy coleslaw or your favorite slaw
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard, paprika, sriracha, and garlic powder. Set sauce ingredients aside.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add ground meat and brown, breaking apart crumbles as it cooks, stirring often, about 5 minutes. A potato masher is a fun and handy way to break apart the meat at the beginning of the cooking process. Drain well and transfer to a plate or bowl.
- With a paper towel, wipe out the saucepan or Dutch oven of excess oil, if needed, leaving a tablespoon of oil to sauté the onions. Depending on the meat, you may not have excess oil. If not, add a tablespoon of grapeseed or olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Add meat back to skillet. Stir well.
- Pour sauce ingredients over meat and stir until evenly coated.
- Gently simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture has slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
- Split the buns and lightly butter, if desired, and toast them under the broiler. Watch closely so they don't burn.
- Divide the meat mixture onto the bottom buns, top with coleslaw, and then replace with the top buns.
Notes
We get our hamburger buns from Rising Hearts Bakery in Culver City, California. Their baked goods are free from gluten and the top 8 allergens (some of their desserts do contain soy). Hopefully, you have a local bakery that can make your favorite baked goods.
BFree makes seeded brown rolls that are allergy-friendly. The rolls are not as soft as a hamburger bun, but are a great substitution. We buy these at Ralph's. Check out their website to find availability in your area.
If eggs are not an issue, we recommend Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free 100% Whole Grain Hamburger Buns.
Courses Mains