Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Ultimate Sloppy Joes Recipe
A sloppy joe is permission to enjoy a slightly messy dinner. This filling has browned beef and a sweet, tangy sauce that belongs on a toasted bun.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Let a crust form first
Give the ground beef time to develop a deep brown crust before you break it apart in the hot skillet.
2. Drain before the vegetables
Remove the cooked beef and drain the excess liquid before adding butter, onion and bell pepper to the same pan.
3. Pause between vegetable stirs
Let the onion and pepper brown briefly before stirring, then give them another short undisturbed cook before returning the beef.
Get to know the ingredients
Chopped bell pepper
The green bell pepper cooks with the onion after the beef is removed. Have both chopped before you begin browning.
Minced garlic goes in later
The garlic joins the returned beef with the mustard, ketchup and seasonings, rather than cooking during the earlier vegetable stage.
Yellow mustard
Use the listed yellow mustard in the sauce stage with the ketchup and brown sugar, stirring it into the beef mixture.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Ultimate Sloppy Joes Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Spoon onto toasted buns
Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then serve the filling on the toasted hamburger buns named in the directions.
A little more help as you go
Some browned crust is the aim
The directions seek a deep crust on roughly half the beef, along with cooking it through, before it leaves the skillet.
Watch the mixture at the end
The filling is ready when most sits above the remaining liquid, giving you the reduced mixture described before serving.
A few questions you might have
Does the butter go in with the raw beef?
It enters after the beef has browned and been removed, together with the chopped onion and bell pepper.
When should I break apart the beef?
Wait for a deep brown crust to appear first, then stir and break it up as you finish browning and cooking it through.
Do I cook the sauce in a separate pan?
The garlic, mustard, ketchup, sugar and seasoning go into the same skillet after the beef returns to the browned vegetables.
Does all the liquid need to disappear?
The directions say most should evaporate, with about three quarters of the mixture above the remaining liquid before serving.
Should the hamburger buns be toasted?
Yes. Toasted hamburger buns are the serving choice in the directions, ready to hold the finished beef filling.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
