Sloppy joes – buns with ground beef in tomato sauce Recipe
Sloppy joes are homemade, slightly “messy” sandwiches with ground beef in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce. They appear very often in American school cafeterias because they’re cheap, filling, and kids like them. The taste is something between Bolognese sauce and a stew, but they’re served in a soft bun instead of with pasta.
Sloppy joes are the essence of American comfort food – aromatic, slightly sticky beef in sauce that practically begs to ooze out of the bun. The sweet-and-sour tomato sauce with ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire gives a flavor somewhere between a burger and a stew, but without the need to form patties. The dish has that nostalgic school-cafeteria vibe, but in a homemade version you can season it exactly to your taste.
Chef's tips
Break up the meat well with a spatula while frying so there are no large, dry lumps – the mixture should be juicy and even. Don’t rush reducing the sauce: cook over low heat until it really thickens, otherwise the filling will run out of the buns like soup. If you’re using leaner beef, don’t pour off all the fat – a bit of fat is key for flavor and juiciness.
How to serve
Serve in soft, lightly toasted hamburger buns, with a dill pickle or coleslaw on the side to add crunch. Sloppy joes go great with a cold lager or homemade lemonade, especially when you make them for an evening with a game on in the background. It’s a great way to feed a crowd at a spontaneous get-together – you can keep the pot of filling on low heat and let everyone assemble their own sandwich.
Ingredients
- ground beef - 500 g
- onion finely diced - 1 piece
- green bell pepper finely diced - 0.5 pieces
- garlic finely chopped - 2 cloves
- vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
- ketchup - 120 ml
- tomato passata - 150 ml
- mustard - 1 tablespoon
- brown sugar - 1 tablespoon
- Worcestershire sauce - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- hamburger buns halved - 4 pieces
Preparation
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and fry for 3–5 minutes, until they soften and become slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic and fry for about 1 more minute, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the ground beef, break it up with a spatula, and fry for 7–10 minutes, until it changes color completely and is no longer raw. If a lot of fat collects in the pan, you can pour some of it off.
- Add the ketchup, passata, mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly so the sauce coats the meat evenly.
- Reduce the heat and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the sauce thickens and has the consistency of a thick stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Towards the end of cooking, you can lightly toast the halved buns in a dry pan or in the oven so they’re warm and slightly crisp on the inside.
- Spoon a generous portion of the hot beef in sauce onto the bottom halves of the buns, cover with the top halves, and serve immediately. Note: the food is “sloppy”, meaning messy – it’s best to have napkins handy.
Storage
Mięsny farsz przechowuj osobno od bułek w lodówce do 3 dni lub zamroź w porcjach. Odgrzewaj na patelni z odrobiną wody, aż będzie gorący i znów lekko sosowaty.
