The other night I was thinking about making my Taco Sloppy Joes that my daughter loves. My son happened to be home and he asked why I never make just regular Sloppy Joes. “Why don’t you just make some Good Ol’ Sloppy Joes, Mom?” Well, okay. I can do that.
Years ago I had a delicious recipe for homemade Sloppy Joes. I have no idea what happened to it, so here is a slight variation. All is good, the kids loved it!
You could easily use ground beef, but I always have some ground turkey in the freezer, so that is what I used. I don’t bother thawing the meat first. Just put it in a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil, cover and let it start to thaw as it cooks.
After awhile I flip it over. You can see some of the moisture coming out as it thaws. Cover again and leave it be for a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, you can chop up some green pepper and onion.
You might also want to get the rest of the ingredients together. We are using Red Wine Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, Granulated Onion, Granulated Garlic, Black Pepper, Salt, Smokey Paprika, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, and a touch of Cayenne Pepper. You can omit the Cayenne pepper if you like, my family likes a bit of a kick most of the time.
When the ground turkey has thawed, you can start to crumble up the meat into smaller pieces.
I like to add the dry spices before the meat has thoroughly cooked. Give everything a good stir.
Add the green pepper and onions and let cook until the meat is done. You will then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Cover and let simmer for 5 – 10 minutes until the veggies are to your liking.
If the Good Ol’ Sloppy Joe mixture has a little bit too much liquid to your liking, you can continue to cook with the lid removed and it will reduce down and thicken up. Serve the Good Ol’ Sloppy Joes on hamburger buns. If you toast the buns first, the bun will hold together a little bit better. But hey, they are sloppy joes, they are suppose to get a little messy.
A simple but very enjoyable meal. Good Ol’ comfort food. Good Ol’ Sloppy Joes.
Good Ol’ Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds Ground Turkey or Ground Beef
- Olive Oil
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon of Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Granulated Onion
- ¼ teaspoon Smokey Paprika
- Dash of Cayenne Pepper optional
- ½ of a Green Pepper chopped
- ½ of an Onion chopped
- 2 ½ teaspoons red Wine Vinegar
- 2 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar do not pack the measuring spoon
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 can 15 ounces Tomato Sauce
Instructions
- If you are using frozen ground turkey or beef, heat it over a medium heat in a skillet that has been drizzled with olive oil. Cover and let cook and thaw a few minutes. Flip it over and cover again for a few minutes.
- If you are using thawed meat, or once you have completed the step above, cook the meat over medium heat and start to crumble into smaller pieces. Add the spices (salt through cayenne pepper) before the meat is thoroughly cooked. Stir well. Add the green pepper and onion and continue to cook until the meat is done.
- Now add the Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Brown Sugar, Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce. Stir. Cover and cook 5 – 10 minutes or until the bell pepper and onions are cooked to your liking.
- Remove lid and stir, or continue to cook a few more minutes to reduce some of the liquid.
- Serve on buns, toasting them first if you like. Enjoy!
Good Ol’ Sloppy Joes
1 ¼ pounds Ground Turkey, or Ground Beef
Olive Oil
¾ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon of Pepper
½ teaspoon Granulated Garlic
½ teaspoon Granulated Onion
¼ teaspoon Smokey Paprika
Dash of Cayenne Pepper, optional
½ of a Green Pepper, chopped
½ of an Onion, chopped
2 ½ teaspoons red Wine Vinegar
2 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar (do not pack the measuring spoon)
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 can (15 ounces) Tomato Sauce
If you are using frozen ground turkey or beef, heat it over a medium heat in a skillet that has been drizzled with olive oil. Cover and let cook and thaw a few minutes. Flip it over and cover again for a few minutes.
If you are using thawed meat, or once you have completed the step above, cook the meat over medium heat and start to crumble into smaller pieces. Add the spices (salt through cayenne pepper) before the meat is thoroughly cooked. Stir well. Add the green pepper and onion and continue to cook until the meat is done.
Now add the Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Brown Sugar, Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce. Stir. Cover and cook 5 – 10 minutes or until the bell pepper and onions are cooked to your liking.
Remove lid and stir, or continue to cook a few more minutes to reduce some of the liquid.
Serve on buns, toasting them first if you like. Enjoy!
You might also like Tilapia Sandwich with Fresh Citrus Sauce
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