School cafeterias have given homemade sloppy joes a bad reputation, but these Trisha Yearwood sloppy joes will change your mind!
Hearty beef and beans are smothered in a thick barbecue sauce that oozes out of the bun and onto your fingers. I won’t tell if you don’t use a napkin!
Treat your family this week to this delicious recipe. It’s so easy to make, you could whip it up after soccer practice before anyone has the chance to say “I’m hungry!”
All it takes is one skillet, and your family will have a filling dinner that is sure to be their favorite. Get ready to get cooking!
Trisha Yearwood Sloppy Joes
Trisha Yearwood sloppy joes are so fresh and flavorful, they are almost a different dish.
The chopped vegetables make this sandwich feel almost like a chili. With plenty of fragrant herbs, this isn’t the sludge of your school days.
My favorite part is the brown sugar in the sauce. That added sweetness is the perfect juxtaposition to the tangy vinegar for a classic barbecue.
There is an added satisfaction when you make something from scratch, and this sloppy joe recipe gives you just that.
They are warm and comforting, which is exactly the type of dinner you want to sit down to after a cold and blustery day.
I really can’t express how simple they are to make, either. One pan and a couple of measuring cups, and you’ll be on your way to one delicious dinner.
Ingredients
Olive Oil: Olive oil is the perfect fat for sauteing vegetables. It retains the heat from the pan nicely and allows each piece to cook to an even tenderness.
Onion: What’s a recipe without an onion? The bold flavor is the perfect base for any dish, this one included. It may not be the star of the show, but it makes the lead stand out.
Bell Peppers: There is just something about this zesty fruit (yep, that’s right) that makes them the perfect addition to any meal. Crunch into one of these juicy morsels and your meal is made.
Ground Beef: Perhaps the most expected ingredient on this list, ground beef is the protein that this dish is based around. This hearty meat sticks to your gut and keeps you full until morning.
Diced Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Bring on the heat with these babies! Every barbecue sauce needs some spice to offset the sweet, and these tomatoes do just that.
Kidney Beans: Sneak a little fiber into your family’s diet with a can of kidney beans. Not only do they bulk up the sloppy joe filling, but they bring lots of health benefits as well.
Tomato Paste: This thickener helps hold the recipe together and keep the liquids from the vegetables in check.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This tangy ingredient is added in a small quantity because it can be quite the attention seeker. However, in this dose, it’s the perfect flavor enhancer for your sauce.
Brown Sugar: This sweetener is the finishing touch on this spicy and tangy dish. The depth of flavor it brings is remarkable for one tablespoon.
Salt and Pepper: Sprinkle these into your heart’s content. Everyone has a different preference, and this is one way you can make this dish yours.
Hamburger Buns: These sloppy joes wouldn’t be sandwiches if they didn’t have two pieces of bread to sidle up between. Hamburger buns are the perfect vehicle for your sloppy joe filling.
Tips for the Best Sloppy Joes
If you prefer your sloppy joes to have a thicker sauce, simmer the pot with the lid off. This will allow more liquid to evaporate off of the meat.
However, if you prefer a thinner sauce, leave the lid on and keep all of those good juices trapped inside. Just a warning that thinner sloppy joes are a lot messier!
The thickness of your sauce depends on how long you simmer the dish. One of the perks of this dish is how quickly it comes together, so you won’t need more than 15 minutes.
I prefer leaner meat when I am making sloppy joes. Since you brown the beef in with the vegetables, it can be hard to cook off a lot of the extra grease.
What Type of Bun Is Best?
While the bun is not the main focus of this dish, it is pretty darn important! You’ll need a bun that can hold its own against all that sloppy joe goodness.
A brioche bun tends to be rather sturdy, while also being soft and easy to toast.
However, any type of bun or bread will work.
Your generic brand hamburger buns are perfect for sloppy joes, and I have even had this sandwich in between two pieces of white bread.
Go big with a fancy brioche bun, or use what you have in your pantry. Either way, this meal is delicious.
How to Use Leftover Sloppy Joe Meat
You can also serve sloppy joes on top of other things besides just bread. Consider filling a baked potato with this savory hash.
For night two, you could add sloppy joes to a box of macaroni and cheese. I doubt anyone would complain about that.
From cornbread to noodles, you can top just about anything with this delicious dish. Buns are optional!
Trisha Yearwood Sloppy Joes
6
servings10
minutes25
minutes352
kcalIngredients
3 tablespoons 3 olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium bell pepper, finely diced
1 pound 1 ground beef
One 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup 1/4 tomato paste
2 tablespoons 2 apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon 1 brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet, start the olive oil over medium heat.
- Toss in the bell peppers and onions, then cook until tender, maybe 10 minutes.
- Place the ground beef in the skillet and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spatula as you go.
- Mix in the beans, tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, and tomato paste.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Place generous scoops of meat on the warmed hamburger buns.
