INSTRUCTIONS
Place the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat.. Cook for 5–7 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the onion is soft.
Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Spread burger buns with a thin layer of mayonnaise, and broil until toasted. Serve the sloppy joes on the buns with pickle slices.
NOTES
Sloppy joe meat will keep for 3–4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze sloppy joe meat for up to 3 months in a tightly covered container or freezer bag.
Reheat sloppy joe meat in a skillet or in the microwave (use a splatter guard or paper towel on top if using the microwave).
You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the ground beef.
Variations: add half of a chopped green pepper along with the onion, add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes for some spice, substitute half the ketchup with bbq sauce.
How to make old fashioned sloppy joes
Start by browning the ground beef and the onion in a large skillet. There’s no need for oil here, since the ground beef will render its fat.
While the beef is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients: ketchup, water, sugar, worcestershire sauce, vinegar and salt.
Stir to combine. Let cook for another 5–7 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
Top tip: toast those buns!
Since this recipe is so simple, small changes can make a big impact.
Ever wonder why burgers are so good at restaurants? It’s because the bun is toasted, and oftentimes, spread with mayonnaise before toasting.
In this case, I HIGHLY recommend spreading a little mayo on each bun. Then, broil them until nicely toasted.
This step adds a nice toasted flavor and a little bit of crunch, which contrasts nicely with the ground beef.
Variations
Want to make this recipe your own? Here are a few ideas:
Add half of a chopped green pepper along with the onion.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes in for some spice.
Substitute bbq sauce for half of the ketchup.
Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead. A sloppy joe made with ground turkey is called a sloppy jane!
Instead of serving the meat on a bun, spoon it over a baked potato, or spoon it over tortilla chips and top with cheese for a fun spin on nachos.
How to reheat sloppy joes
Reheat sloppy joe meat in a skillet for several minutes, or until warm. You can also microwave the meat. I recommend putting it in a covered dish or placing a splatter guard over the top so you don’t decorate your microwave.
How long do sloppy joes keep in the refrigerator?
Sloppy joe meat will keep for 3–4 days in the refrigerator.
Leftovers make a great topping for baked potatoes!
