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Homemade Sloppy Joes

Homemade Sloppy Joes with lean ground beef simmered until tender in a tangy brick-red ketchup sauce. A quick skillet method thickens the filling so it piles onto toasted buns with a rich, saucy texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

olive oil
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
lean ground beef
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
sweet onion
  • 1 small sweet onion, diced
green bell pepper
  • 0.5 small green bell pepper, diced
garlic
  • 2 cloves cloves garlic, minced
tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
ketchup
  • 0.5 cup ketchup
water
  • 0.33 cup water
brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
yellow mustard
  • 2 tsp yellow mustard
kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
toasted buns
  • 1 toasted buns, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the beef and vegetables
  1. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Keep it moving so the surface heats evenly.
  2. Add the beef, onion, and bell pepper, breaking the meat into crumbles, then cook about 5 minutes until browned and the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally for even browning and softening.
  3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, then drain any excess grease. Watch for a fragrant aroma without browning the garlic.
Simmer the sloppy joe sauce
  1. Stir in the tomato paste until combined, then add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix thoroughly so the sauce looks brick-red and cohesive.
  2. Simmer gently over medium heat for 10 minutes until thickened. You should see the sauce reduce and cling to the meat as you stir.
Serve
  1. Spoon the filling onto toasted buns and serve warm. Heap it high and let the sauce settle slightly before eating.

Notes

For best thickness, keep the simmer gentle (medium heat but not a hard boil) so the sauce reduces to a spoonable, clinging texture. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days and reheat in a skillet with a splash of water if needed. Freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove until hot. For a lighter option, use ground turkey instead of lean ground beef and keep the simmer time the same.