Homemade Sloppy Joes

5 from 1 vote

Here's a quick and easy recipe for homemade Sloppy Joes. And best of all, it's budget-friendly too!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Americana

Servings: servings

Calories: 310kcal

1 lb Ground beef, 85% lean/15% fat
1/2 tsp Baking soda And you will need "a pinch" more baking soda.
1 tsp Salt, divided
1 medium Onion, grated or chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Sucanat or brown sugar
1 tsp Paprika, sweet
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper, flakes
1/4 cup Tomato paste
1/3 cup Ketchup
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Water
1/2 tsp Cornstarch You can substitute with another thickener, such as arrowroot or flour.

Place ground beef in a bowl and mix with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and baking soda. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan on the stovetop set to medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of baking soda. Stir well and cook until the onions are soft and transparent, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic to the saucepan and mix well with onions. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Add sweetener, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), and the remaining salt to the saucepan. Stir well and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Add tomato paste to the saucepan and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add ground beef to the saucepan, breaking it up into small pieces, and cooking until it is no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes.
As the ground beef is cooking, continue to break up the meat into as fine a mince as possible. A potato masher works wonderfully for this process. (See video for the process and a picture of the texture.)
Once the ground beef is finely minced, add the ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
Stir together cornstarch and water and add it to the ground beef mixture. Mix well.
Taste the mixture and add additional salt if necessary. Your Sloppy Joes are now ready to serve.
Well wrapped, Sloppy Joes will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 4 days or 6 months in the freezer. If frozen, allow to defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-homemade-sloppy-joes/

This Sloppy Joe recipe was adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Number 158.