Sloppy Joes
A classic sweet and tangy ground beef sandwich filling simmered with ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard, served on soft hamburger buns. Ready in about 35 minutes.
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 3/4 cup ketchup, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 hamburger buns, split
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the ground beef until some of the fat starts to render, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper, and continue cooking until the vegetables have softened and the beef is cooked through, another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Divide the meat mixture evenly among the hamburger buns and serve.
Chef's Note: The long simmer here is what actually makes this a "sloppy joe" rather than just seasoned ground beef — letting it cook down for 20 to 30 minutes thickens the sauce and lets the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard meld into something more cohesive than a quick-mixed sauce would give you. If you're using a fattier ground beef than lean, drain off the excess fat before adding the sauce ingredients, since it can leave the finished mixture greasy otherwise.
This is a genuinely forgiving recipe for adjusting to taste — the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard amounts are all easy to nudge up or down depending on how sweet or tangy you like it. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and the filling actually reheats nicely on its own if you want to make a batch ahead and toast fresh buns when you're ready to serve.
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