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Sandwiches · American

Sloppy Joes

Tangy, sweet, saucy beef piled on a toasted bun. Napkins required.

Hands-on
30 min
Total
30 min
Makes
6 sandwiches
Serves
6

One skillet on the stove from start to finish: about 7 minutes for the vegetables, 8 for the beef and 6 for the sauce to thicken, plus chopping.

  • easy
  • weeknight
  • kid-friendly
  • make-ahead
  • one-pan

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Sloppy Joes
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: large skillet (cast iron or nonstick sticks least) · wooden spoon or sturdy spatula · cutting boards: one for vegetables, one or a clean one for anything that touches raw beef · instant-read thermometer

Contains: wheat · milk · fish

Method

  1. Soften the vegetables

    Melt the 28 g (2 tbsp) butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook, stirring now and then, for 6 to 7 minutes.

    Ready when: Soft, with a few golden-brown spots starting to appear.

  2. Garlic

    Stir in the minced garlic clove and cook about 1 minute.

    Ready when: Fragrant, not browned.

  3. Brown the beef

    Add the 454 g (1 lb) ground beef and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles with the spoon as it browns. Spoon off excess fat if there's a pool of it.

    Ready when: Browned all over with no pink left, even inside the bigger crumbles. Ground beef is safe at 71°C (160°F); check a thick clump with a thermometer.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dumps the beef in as one big brick and stirs twice. Outside brown, middle pink. Keep breaking it up until every crumble is cooked through.

  4. Make the sauce

    Stir in the 340 g (12 oz) tomato sauce, 180 ml (3/4 cup) ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp Worcestershire, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp paprika, the pinch of cayenne, 1 tsp kosher salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.

  5. Simmer until thick

    Turn the heat down so the sauce bubbles gently and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then.

    Ready when: Thick enough to hold in a mound on a spoon instead of running off, and steaming hot throughout. Simmer a few minutes longer if it's still runny.

  6. Serve

    Spoon the hot filling onto the 6 toasted buns and serve right away.

Swaps

  • Instead of 1 green bell pepper: a red bell pepper, or chopped celery Red is milder and sweeter, if green peppers are a hard sell.
  • Instead of ground beef: ground turkey or ground chicken, same weight Ground poultry must reach 74°C (165°F), not 71°C.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Make the filling ahead, refrigerate it, then reheat it and spoon it onto freshly toasted buns.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate the filling within 2 hours in a covered container; eat within 3 days. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 months. Store the buns separately.
Reheat
Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, or in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between, until steaming hot and 74°C (165°F). Frozen filling can go straight into the pan; it just takes longer.

If something goes wrong

  • Runny filling that soaks the bun Why: Not simmered long enough.
    Keep simmering, uncovered, until it mounds on a spoon.
  • Too sweet Why: Ketchup and brown sugar outweigh the tang.
    Stir in a little more mustard or vinegar, a teaspoon at a time.

Good to know

  • Toast the buns so they hold up to the sauce.
  • Cast iron or nonstick keeps the sugary sauce from catching on the bottom.

Safety

  • Cook ground beef to 71°C (160°F). Colour isn't a reliable sign, so check with a thermometer.
  • Keep raw beef away from ready-to-eat food: use a separate board or wash it in hot soapy water, and wash your hands after handling the meat.
  • The sugary sauce can spit as it bubbles. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer and kids back from the stove.
  • Buns can contain milk, egg, sesame or soy, and Worcestershire sauce usually contains fish (anchovy). Check the labels.