Raising three little boys, quick economical meals are something that are a constant around here. We love tacos, and my version of a homemade Hamburger Helper is always a hit, and who could forget spaghetti? But on this particular evening that I’d taken out some ground beef, I wasn’t feeling any of those options.
I decided to whip up a from-scratch version of the classic Manwich sauce in a can, and made homemade Sloppy Joes. They took just a few minutes to throw together, out of ingredients that I usually always have on hand. A little bit of tang and a little bit of sweetness to the sauce hits all the right spots on the flavor scale, everyone really enjoyed them!
I think this would be a great option for a cookout instead of burgers. The beef could easily be mixed up and kept warm in a slow cooker for serving. I kept it simple and served with some potato chips and my favorite coleslaw. In fact, I put a spot of coleslaw on my sandwich. Don’t knock it till you try it!
Homemade Sloppy Joes
2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups ketchup
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns, toasted
Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain off most of the fat.
Add in the green peppers and onion, cooking for about 4 minutes until onions soften. Add in garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the ketchup and water, as well as the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, and Worstershire sauce. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and simmer over low heat, for about 20 minutes.
Serve the filling piled high on toasted hamburger buns.
Source: adapted from Allrecipes
