Growing up, I think I can remember my mom making Sloppy Joe’s once. It definitely wasn’t on our usual rotation of meals! Honestly, I don’t even really like the idea of Sloppy Joe’s. When you have five kids, all meals are sloppy, and if a meal is officially “sloppy” then there’s no hope for the kitchen floor!
Even though I was never an expert on Sloppy Joe’s, I started eating more of them because my husband’s grandmother serves them every time we visit Baton Rouge! Grandma’s Sloppy Joe’s are of the Manwich variety, but I have been really impressed by how much my kids love them. It is a meal that they will devour.
A few years ago I came across a Sloppy Joe recipe (I’m pretty sure it’s from Saveur magazine, but I can’t swear to that) that has been nothing but a success at our house. Every time I make it there are no leftovers because everyone has more than one helping.
The other thing that I love about this recipe is that it’s very customizable. You cann add a spicy mustard, or hide a bunch of vegetable from your kids! Last night I added shredded carrots, and no one noticed.
I think the secret ingredient here is the nutmeg. Whenever I see nutmeg, I think Christmas, but that doesn’t come across with this dish at all.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy meal that is a guaranteed success, you can’t go wrong with this!
Sloppy Joe’s
Ingredients
- 2 T. Butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 c. ketchup
- 2 T. mustard
- 1 T. white vinegar
- 1 T. sugar
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- Hamburger Buns
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions and green peppers and cook until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients (except for buns!), reduce heat to med-low, cover, stir occasionally until thick and dark, about 25 minutes.
- Serve over toasted, buttered buns.
