Sloppy Joes were my favorite meal as a kid, and I still love them! I add a little bit of green peppers, carrots, and celery to my sloppy joe mix.
When you need a delicious, quick supper or dish to take to a community gathering, sloppy joes are it. Although they can be a little messy (hence the "sloppy" in the title), the yumminess is worth it.
They work well in a crockpot, so you can keep them warm if people drop in for a bite to eat at different times. I often use the smaller "slider" buns for parties rather than full-sized hamburger buns to serve.
Use Lean Meat or Vegetarian "Meat"
I make my sloppy joes with 80% lean ground beef because you need a little fat in the beef to give it flavor and make it moist. I find 95% ground beef to be dry and tough. You can also substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, vegetarian crumbles, or a combination.
Suppose I know I will have vegetarians at a party. In that case, I make a batch of Sloppy Joes using beef and another vegetarian batch using Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles or Boca Veggie Ground Crumbles. The nice thing is, you can use the vegetarian crumbles exactly as you would the ground beef, but be careful...it burns easier.
Kids tend to like Sloppy Joes rather plain, without much onion or green pepper. I have found that adults like them a little spicier. Getting your kids to eat more veggies is easy by hiding some in these sandwiches. Just add carrots and celery, chopped very small, so the kids don't see them.
What You Need
For this recipe, you need knives, a cutting board, a good skillet, a wooden spoon or spatula, measuring spoons, a garlic mincer, and a vegetable peeler. A slow cooker is also helpful if you take sloppy joes (BBQ sandwiches in the North) to a potluck or carry-in. When my husband was in the military, and we had bake sales, sloppy joes were my go-to dish.
Sloppy Joes with Green Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds hamburger
- ½ onion (medium, chopped fine)
- ½ green pepper (optional, chopped)
- 1 carrot (peeled and chopped fine)
- 1 stalk celery (chopped fine)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large skillet, brown the hamburger and onions.
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Add the carrots, celery and green pepper, if using, and sauté for about 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
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Add the garlic and continue to sauté the mixture.
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Drain the fat off the mixture.
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Return the hamburger mixture to the stove and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder and cayenne.
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Mix to combine.
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Add the ketchup and mustard. If you like a "wetter" sandwich, add more ketchup and mustard. Mix and heat until hot.
Sloppy Joes With Green Peppers and Carrots
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 2 pounds hamburger
- ½ onion (medium, chopped fine)
- ½ green pepper (optional, chopped)
- 1 carrot (peeled and chopped fine)
- 1 stalk celery (chopped fine)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the hamburger and onions.
- Add the carrots, celery and green pepper, if using, and sauté for about 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
- Add the garlic and continue to sauté the mixture.
- Drain the fat off the mixture.
- Return the hamburger mixture to the stove and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder and cayenne.
- Mix to combine.
- Add the ketchup and mustard. If you like a "wetter" sandwich, add more ketchup and mustard. Mix and heat until hot.
Nutrition (may vary depending on ingredients and amounts used)
More Recipes To Try
- Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwich
- Cincinnati Vegetarian Chili
- Portabella Reuben Sandwich
- Vegetarian chickpea loaf
- Mom's Meatloaf
- Halloumi Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich
