Sloppy Joe

Sloppy Joe
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I’m not a fast food fan. Though the taste of a burger might be satisfying for a few minutes, the idea of ingesting fat and empty calories only to be hungry again an hour later makes me lose my appetite. Good for me! 🙂

That said, I love cooking fast food at home because I can control what goes in my dishes and make them healthier, all without compromising the taste. All the skeptics out there can talk to Alex. Before he met me, he ate at fast food restaurants two or three times a day. He hasn’t set foot in one for several months now (by choice) and prefers my salmon burgers, crab cakes, and homemade fries. Yeah, I’m pretty proud!

This sloppy joe recipe is simple, quick to make (15 minutes), and makes great comfort food. I thought it was the perfect way to introduce my comfort food recipes that will eventually become their own section on the blog.

  • ServesServes 4
  • Prep time15 min
  • Cook time15 min
  • Timeout-
  • FreezingFreezes well

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 4 hamburger buns

Steps

  1. In a pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the pepper and onion for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Season well, add the garlic, and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the beef until nicely browned. (You need to sear the meat and avoid stirring to get it nicely browned, because stirring releases the juices and the meat will boil rather than brown, which is not as good.)
  3. Season the meat well. Drain any excess oil and add the vegetables, chili powder, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, and brown sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Adjust the seasoning and garnish the hamburger buns with a lettuce leaf and the beef mixture.

Tips & tricks

Give it a nice kick by adding hot sauce or chili pepper flakes to the beef mixture. For lunch the following day, reinvent the recipe by adding beans to it. Make it into a wrap with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, cheese, and the bean and beef mixture. Truly delicious!

Recipe published on August 19, 2018