Sloppy Joe's Recipe

Mark loves Sloppy Joe's! This recipe freezes well so I make a large batch and we put it in individual baggies in the freezer. Mark likes his on a hamburger bun and I have mine over cabbage. Either way, it is delicious with a bit of sweet and a bit of spicy and a whole lot of "more please!". If you try it, I think you will agree that you will always want to have some in your freezer waiting to heat up and have as a savory lunch or dinner.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
2 lb. ground beef
2/3 green bell pepper, minced
1 large yellow onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar (or less, if you prefer)
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash or two of hot sauce (optional)

Steps

Heat butter and oil in large skillet over MED/MED-HIGH heat. Add beef and brown, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain.
Add onion and bell pepper to same skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add beef back to the skillet and add tomato paste. Stir well.
Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
Cook over MED heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture has thickened to your liking. Remove from heat and serve over toasted buns.

Notes

I served mine over cooked cabbage 
Sloppy Joe meat mixture can be frozen! 
Cool the mixture completely, then add to freezer containers and freeze for up to 4 months. 
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.