These Sloppy Joes are meaty and messy and will have you unbuckling your belt because youโve had too many. Made with ground beef, ketchup, beef broth, and chili powder, the sauce is savory, beefy, and slightly sweet. It's the perfect addition to soft hamburger buns!
I will be completely honest with you guysโฆas someone who does not like getting food on my face, I am not the biggest fan of sloppy joes. They are so freaking messy. Every time I eat them, my face is covered in chili, and I have to use at least 5 napkins while eating them. I always end up washing my face with a wet cloth after.
That being said, I still love the taste of sloppy joes! This recipe is extremely flavorful and easy to make. I think it's also one of the most perfectly balanced sloppy joes I have ever had. It's meaty, savory, aromatic, and has the perfect amount of sweetness. Pro tip, use brioche buns when you eat these! The extra richness from the bread really brings them to the next level.
Key ingredients
Ground beef: I always recommend lean ground beef because regular ground beef just has way too much fat. If you use regular ground beef, make sure to drain some of the fat after you cook the beef (and before adding the vegetables).
Vegetables: Onions, green peppers, and garlic. I chose to use a bit more garlic than other recipes because garlic makes these sloppy joes taste amazing.
Ketchup: I remember I used to use tomato sauce, but I always found the chili sauce lacking flavor. Once I switched to ketchup, I never looked back. Ketchup is way more concentrated in flavor than tomato sauce and has the sweetness that makes these taste amazing.
Beef broth: For the beef broth, I mixed better than bouillon beef base with water. If you find the sauce is not salty enough, I recommend adding more beef base rather than salt.
๐ Recipe
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ยฝ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
- ยพ cup ketchup
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes until no longer pink. Add the onions and green peppers, and cook for another 5 minutes until the veggies are soft.
- Add the garlic and chili powder and cook for 1-2 minutes until it smells delicious.
- Add the ketchup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. You want most of the beef broth to evaporate and the sauce to thickly coat the beef.
- Heat up the buns in the oven, microwave, or air-fryer until soft and warm.
- For each sloppy joe, place the bottom bun on a plate, spoon some beef sauce on top, then add the top bun. Enjoy!
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