If you grew up in the US, this recipe for classic sloppy joes might give you flashbacks to your childhood, when you may have been subjected to a canned version of the tomatoey loose-meat sandwich filling. But never fear: Here, we’ve swapped out the canned stuff for a tangy, sweet, and savory homemade sloppy joe sauce.
The easy recipe requires minimal prep and is super versatile. You can bulk out the filling with more veggies like carrots and celery, use ground turkey instead of beef, swap the small amount of molasses for brown sugar, opt for yellow mustard instead of Dijon, and play around with the spices to suit your tastes.
Many recipes for this weeknight dinner call for a slow cooker, but our version comes together so quickly we prefer a stovetop method. For the best texture, brown the beef, leaving some bits chunkier than others. Then sauté the vegetables in the beef fat over medium heat and bloom the spices (cooking them for a moment intensifies their flavor). Finally, return the sloppy joe meat to the pan, along with the remaining sauce ingredients.
This comfort food main dish requires almost no accompaniment, but you will want to serve the filling on toasted buns with potato chips (or french fries) and pickles. If you have extra filling, pile it into tacos or baked potatoes with shredded cheese and pickled jalapeños, or freeze it for more easy meals down the line.
