Sloppy Janes

Sloppy Joes have a bad wrap, right? They’re messy, meaty, and just not cute. But it turns out that when you make the sauce from scratch and stuff the filling inside fresh soft buns, they’re totally delicious, not to mention quick and satisfying.

I saw this recipe on A Cozy Kitchen a couple of years ago, and have been making it ever since. I was briefly interested in a vegetarian lentil version after having it at my friend Alexis’ for lunch one day, but settled back on this.

The delay in posting is partly attributed to my quest to make the perfect bun for these, which I finally did over the holidays. That’s them in the picture! I have so much more to say about that process that I’ll do a separate post tomorrow.

In the meantime, this is another legit one-pot 30 minute meal. The leftovers also freeze really well, which I like for quick winter weekend lunches. I’ve been eating these with my friend Heather‘s dill pickles and it’s an insanely good combination.

Finally, I am a lady, so I’m calling these Sloppy Janes, not Joes.

Sloppy Janes

Source: A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

1 lb ground beef (I use extra-lean)

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated with a microplace

15oz crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/4 tsp if you don’t want them too spicy)

1 tsp brown sugar

+ burger buns, homemade if you’re up for it

+ grated cheddar

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and yellow pepper and saute for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
  2. Add the ground beef, breaking it up as you stir, and cook until it’s no longer pink, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, and let cook for a minute more.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, ketchup, W sauce, cayenne pepper and brown sugar, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.
  4. Serve on toasted buns with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese if you like.