Best Ever Sloppy Joes

By sandiB2010

Our families have declared this sloppy joe recipe the absolute best ever … so much better (and healthier!) than Manwich! Super-simple, and you can even make it ahead for busy nights!

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup frozen, diced onions (see note)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste with Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
• 1/2 cup frozen, diced green peppers (see note)
• 2-3 tablespoons water (see note)
• Whole wheat buns

Preparation

Step 1

1.Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add beef, onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook until beef is browned and cooked through, stirring to crumble, about 8-10 minutes. Drain if needed (although, if using very lean beef, you probably won’t need to).

2.Add tomato paste, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce. Cook for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

3.Stir in green peppers, cooking just until peppers are hot and crisp-tender.

4.Add water, until desired consistency is reached.

5.Serve immediately on whole wheat buns, passing additional hot sauce as desired.

NOTES:
Frozen onions and peppers, and water: If you have fresh onions and green peppers on hand, these will work perfectly, as well. However, you’ll need to add more water at the end of cooking, likely about ¼ – ⅓ cup, if you use fresh vegetables. As frozen veggies thaw, they release more water than the fresh veggies do, so with fresh vegetables you’ll need to add a little more water.

Make-ahead options: This reheats beautifully. If you’re crunched for time in the evening, you can easily make this the night before or earlier in the day, and then simply reheat just prior to serving. It also freezes well if you want to make batches further in advance.