The Stay at Home Chef: Homemade Sloppy Joes

As a kid, I remember eating sloppy joes on a semi-regular basis, but they were always out of a can mix.  Anyone else experience Manwich?  (As a girl, I always wondered about that name.)  As an adult, I couldn't figure out why we needed a can of sauce to make something that seemed pretty basic on the face of it.  So I started looking for a recipe, and finally ended up with this one.  This actually comes surprisingly close to what Manwich tastes like, minus all of the chemical preservatives.  And the best part is toasting the bun in butter.  I never did that as a child, but it makes all the difference.

Homemade Sloppy Joes
Adapted from The Stay at Home Chef

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, finely grated

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2½ tablespoons packed brown sugar

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon chili powder
8 hamburger buns

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion together, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain any excess fat from the skillet and return skillet to heat. Add in bell pepper, carrot, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, ground mustard, and chili powder. Stir to combine.  Add ¼ cup water and stir.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Simmering time depends on how crisp you want the vegetables.

Serve meat hot on toasted buns.

Makes 8 servings