My husband likes simple meals. He’s not impressed when I do something fancy. He’s said several times “I don’t do fancy food”. Sloppy Joes definitely aren’t fancy! I couldn’t keep him from sampling this batch from the stove top, either! 😂 Also, this is the perfect thing to whip up when you’re in a time crunch. It’s a one pot recipe; so, very little to clean up, too! I had been working on kolaches all day when I made this the other night, and my back was absolutely done from standing all day. I needed something quick so that I could go outside and jump in the pool and relax. These were perfect.
What you’ll need:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion
- 2 green bell peppers
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire
- 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Chili powder
- 1 – 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Your choice of bread buns
- Butter
- Garlic salt
- Italian seasoning
How to:
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef to the pan and cook through, drain when done.
Add chopped onion and bell pepper to the meat mixture. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes then add finely chopped garlic to the mix. Cook another few minutes to let the garlic infuse.
Add the water, ketchup and Worcestershire. Give it a stir. Now, add your seasonings: brown sugar, cajun seasoning, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
Turn your heat to a simmer. Cover your skillet and let your meat mixture cook and thicken for 20 minutes on low.
Turn on your broiler. Take bread of your choice (I used my FRENCH BREAD which I had previously made and put in the freezer for a night just like this. Defrost and it’s just like fresh) spread butter on the bread, sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Place on a sheet pan under the broiler for 1 1/2 minutes. Keep an eyeball on it because you can burn it fast.
Top bread with sloppy joe mix and dive in!