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Easy and Delicious Sloppy Joes

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Sometimes it’s necessary to get dinner on the table fast! There are days when I’m too busy to think ahead of time about what my family will eat for dinner. I try to plan ahead, but let’s face it. Sometimes the day goes by and we find that we have hungry people to feed in a short time. This recipe for easy and delicious sloppy joes is perfect for those evenings!

finished sloppy joe

Time Saving Tips for the Future

I usually keep some browned ground beef in my freezer. If you don’t do this, you should consider it! It’s a huge time-saver! I buy a huge package of ground beef and brown it when I get home from the grocery store. Then I package it in individual freezer baggies to have on hand for when I need a quick meal. (Be sure to label each baggie with the date.) If the recipe calls for me to saute onions or peppers when I brown the ground beef, I just thaw out the frozen browned ground beef, add a little bit of oil or butter to the pan, and then add whatever veggies need to saute along with the meat. It works well, the flavor turns out great, and it saves me from spending the extra time browning and draining the ground beef.

To save even more time, I often buy extra onions and bell peppers to prepare ahead of time and freeze. When I get home from the grocery store, I dice my onions and bell peppers and divide them into freezer baggies, label the baggies with the date, and place them in the freezer. (I usually put about half an onion or half a bell pepper in each baggie.) I know I can buy diced onions and bell peppers in the frozen section of the grocery store, but they just aren’t as flavorful as the ones I dice and freeze myself.

The Process

To make this recipe, you simply brown and drain your ground beef (or thaw your frozen ground beef), and then add the butter, diced onions, and bell peppers to the pan. Saute until the vegetables are tender. Then add the garlic powder, salt, tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Yes, this looks like a long list of ingredients, but you probably have all of them in your pantry already! Then just let the mixture  until it thickens to your liking. Serve on hamburger buns.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve your sloppy joes on hamburger buns if you have some. (I’ve been know to serve mine on hot dog buns or even on slices of bread if that’s what I have at home!)

For side dishes, I use what I have on hand! I sometimes serve sloppy joes with a side of green beans since my family members like them. If I have frozen French fries in the deep freezer, I serve those as a side. If I’ve recently been to the grocery store, I may have fresh salad greens–since a salad always makes a nice fresh side dish.

 

Print
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finished sloppy joe on plate

Easy and Delicious Sloppy Joes

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  • Author: Wendy Hilton

Ingredients

Scale

2 lbs ground beef

1 tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion

1/2 bell pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp yellow mustard

1 1/4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce


Instructions

Brown and drain ground beef.

Dice onion and bell pepper.

Heat butter in skillet, add onion and bell pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender.

Add all other ingredients.

Heat until warm and until sauce is thickened to your liking. (I like to cook mine longer to make the meat softer and the flavors more intense.)


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