Aunt Martha's Sloppy Joes

By Addie

“This was everyone’s favorite recipe from Grandma’s sister, Martha.”

Ingredients

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• Hamburger buns

Preparation

Step 1

Chop the bell pepper to yield about 1 cup. Set aside. Coarsely chop the onion and mince the garlic.


Cook and stir the ground beef, chopped onion and garlic in large skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbly and onion is tender. Drain excess fat from skillet.


Combine ketchup, chopped bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, white-wine vinegar, mustard and chili powder in the slow cooker.


Stir in beef mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Spoon beef mixture into hamburger buns to serve.



Grandma's Secret Tip:

Don’t have a slow cooker? Not to worry—you can make the sloppy joe filling on the stovetop. In step 2, cook the beef, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add the remaining ingredients for the filling to the beef mixture in step 3, then simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally and adding water if it becomes too dry, for about 45 minutes.