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Homemade Sloppy Joes

Sloppy JoesY’all excuse me while I get on my soapbox here, hopefully this will be a short one. ~steps up on to soapbox~  Folks, I’ve just got to say a few things about Facebook.  First, I love it.  I love that sense of community that we’ve built on the Southern Bite Facebook page.  I love being able to talk and share with y’all.  I love being able to easily stay in touch with friends and relatives.  But what I don’t love is all the negativity that is on Facebook.  I took the liberty this past week to allow myself to hide people on Facebook who’s status updates consists solely of complaining and moaning about one thing or another.  You know exactly the kind of people I’m talking about.  Not to mention all the other folks who do nothing but be critical of others.  It seems Facebook has eliminated many folks’ filter between their brains and their mouths.  It’s like the minute it pops into their heads, they type it out.  We all have those thoughts, without a doubt.  But some of us don’t have the ability to keep them simply as thoughts and not share them with the world.  What happened to the old rule we were taught as kids… “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all?”  I’m not sure… but I’ve given my permission to eliminate that negativity and move on without feeling bad about hiding someone.  I encourage you to give yourself that power too.  It’ s so nice to click over to Facebook and see a feed of good things.  Try it.  You’ll be amazed.  ~steps off of soapbox~Sloppy Joes

Ground beef is one of those things that can really stretch a family’s grocery budget.  I was talking with my dear friend Christy Jordan from Southern Plate just the other day about ground beef and about how many bloggers out there don’t deal with it presumably because ground beef is somehow considered inferior.  The truth is, though, that many of us (and I say us because I am totally including my family in this) use ground beef to make ends meet.  It’s an inexpensive way to fed your family a wholesome meal.  And this super easy Sloppy Joe recipe is a great alternative to the canned sauce.  Even my wife, who doesn’t like Sloppy Joes, likes this.  I hope you will too!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • half of a small onion, finely chopped
  • half of a small green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Brown onions and green peppers with ground beef over medium heat until meat is cooked through and vegetables are soft.  Drain meat and return to pan.
  2. Add garlic powder, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Mix well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Serve on soft hamburger buns. 
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Sloppy Joes

Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time30 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • half of a small onion, finely chopped
  • half of a small green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

  • Brown onions and green peppers with ground beef over medium heat until meat is cooked through and vegetables are soft. Drain the grease away and return the meat to the pan.
  • Over medium-low heat, add garlic powder, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Serve on soft hamburger buns.
Making This Recipe?Tag us on Instagram: @SouthernBite using the hashtag #SouthernBite, so we can see what you are making in the kitchen!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Looking forward to trying this out; sounds so much better than the canned stuff, or the dry seasoning/mix with tomato paste combo (these are ok in a pinch but it’s nice to have an alternative). I agree with you 100% on your soapbox topic – – I have had to “unsubscribe” from a couple of folks’ posts because they are either too whiney or just downright obnoxious!

    Reply

  5. I totally relate with you on the Facebook negativity!! I’ve gotten where I just click hide on more than I allow, I have started dropping all the people that post the negative pictures and the rude comments, I just have reached the point in my life where I don’t want to be around it anymore, I had to deal with it at work I won’t invite it into my home! Thank you for all that you do, I really enjoy your posts and blog!!!

    Reply

  6. I love grd beef , I would NEVER deem it inferior. To help make ends meet even more I use Grd Turkey (and it is healthier too) I use it so much that I have gotten good at disguising it and my husband will ask if it is beef or turkey .I will definitly make this and use grd turkey. Thanks for the recipe .

    Reply

  7. Great recipe…simple, easy…love it. I’ve saved it to my recipe box, love that feature!! Totally agree with you on the Facebook thing. I do the same thing, hide posts I don’t want to deal with, some people just don’t get the concept of “social networking”…

    Reply

  8. I did the same thing with negative pl on FB. It has gotten ridiculous with all the negative nancy’s out there. That’s why we have to pick and choose what we make available for ourselves to read. It will affect our attitudes!

    Reply

  9. Looks good! My son dosn’t like sloppy joes, but I think this would be worth a try (he doesn’t like bread – I know what it wrong with this child! grins) But it sounds like a great way to “hide” ground turkey, which I have to do for my husband. I’m going to put it on my menu for next week.

    Reply

  10. Bravo, Stacey! I try to stay away from negativity everywhere, not just on Facebook. One negative person can bring down a whole room full of happy people.

    I just create a Sloppy Joe recipe using hamburger AND sausage. I took the inspiration from one of my favorite dishes that my Granny used to make for me, Hamburger and Sausage Patties. The flavor of those two ground meats together is wonderful just like it is. So I thought it would make excellent Sloppy Joes. And…..I was right! I’m taking those to one of our Halloween parties this year.

    Thanks again for the great post, Stacey. I’m glad to see you posting again. I hope your time gave you a chance to recharge.

    Reply

  11. The recipe looks great. We are on a tight budget so we use ground beef alot. It can be used so many different ways. I am so glad Christy led me to your site. Both of you are wonderful.

    Reply

  12. Stacey – This looks like it will be the star of our dinner menu tonight . . . I love Sloppy Joes but am not fond of the salt content in so many of the mixes out there. Thanks for posting this . . . oh and by the way kudos for filtering your “negative” facebook feed. . . I for one do not need any extra drama or negativity in my life . . . I’ve been “editing” my content for several months!

    Reply

  14. First time ever making homemade Sloppy Joe! Thank you for this post! I’m simmering everything now and waiting for it to finish! It smells DELICIOUS! Most definitely bookmarking this recipe!

    Reply

  15. This recipe is fabulous! I’ve always been indifferent about Sloppy Joes, but not anymore. I crave these over and over. In a houseful of picky eaters I have kids begging for seconds and asking me to reheat the leftovers. I’m making them again tomorrow for a quick and easy 4 th of July meal! Gotta double the recipe. Also, it freezes well so I will definitely make large batches and freeze leftovers. Yummy!

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Greer! I’m so happy to know that your family enjoys these as much as we do. I know they take little bit more time than opening a can of that other stuff, but I sure think it makes a difference. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!!

      Reply

  16. I’m with you on the fb negativity. I have done that for quite some time and don’t feel bad at all about hiding some folks’ status updates. What I shake my head over are the ones who complain about fb on fb – come on now, it’s free and totally voluntary to be use it.

    Your recipe for sloppy joes is very much like mine except I put in chopped celery instead of green pepper. I’ve used this recipe when I’ve had casual parties to feed a crowd and everybody loves them. I think it’s a nostalgic feeling for favorite childhood food.

    Reply

  17. I’m gonna be hosting my BUNCO game this month. The theme is gonna be The Pink Ladies: Too Cool for School. The food I am going with is your favorite cafeteria food. I’ll be serving Sloppy Joe’s and Peanut Butter Scotchies from Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love that so many Southern cooks are blogging. Sharing recipes brings back memories of all the good food that was shared in my lifetime. We just finished a family cookbook for our family reunion Labor Day weekend. Don’t know why I’m just ramblin’. My now deceased husband used to tell me it was a Texan thing. I had to dance around a bush a couple times to make my point. Which is to thank you for what you do. That’s all. <3

    Reply

    • What a fun idea! So glad Southern Bite will be a part of the menu! Y’all have fun! And don’t ever worry about ramblin’ in these parts. You are always welcome! 🙂

      Reply

  18. i luv this goulash, my mom use to make it for me when i was a kid when times were hard. i think this sharing is great and i luv most of the recipes, you can’t like everything. thank you for sharing and keep up the great work

    Reply

  20. You know, I have tried so many recipes for sloppy joes looking for one that tasted like how my mama would make it, and I have finally found one here. Thank you!

    Reply

    • These are the kinds of comments that mean the most to me. Thanks so much for sharing and I’m so glad this recipe is so close to your mama’s. 🙂

      Reply

  21. I’ve made this several times now and we love it! I’m wondering if it could be adapted for the slow cooker?

    Reply

    • That’s great, Kim! If you used some extra lean ground beef, you could probably just dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir, and cook.

      Reply

  22. I just ate a late lunch, but my mouth is watering for a sloppy joe now! It that saying something nice enough?

    Reply

  23. This is about the way my Mother always made them, except for the green pepper. I would love that as well because I put onion and green pepper in most everything. Add a slice of sweet Vidalia onion and a couple of dill pickle slices on a soft warm hamburger bun and you’ve got something hard to beat. Haven’t made any in a while and now you have gotten me wanting one!

    Reply

  28. I’ve never mentioned this before to anyone, but I don’t mind the debatable Facebook posts. I’m not living in a Pollyanna world where everything and everyone must be Hollywood cute/handsome and everything is all kittens, puppies or babies. I don’t have hundreds of friends there; 68 to be exact, and the few that voice their complaints I don’t mind. I have to see everyone’s children and grandchildren, and their trips to hither and yon, but again, that’s OK. The only thing I’m not OK with is nudity or vulgarity. Yes, guilty as charged — some of us do like to talk about the issues of the day a little too much, but thanks the splendid Sloppy Joe recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  29. I am going to try this out. It sound yummy. I am so with you on the getting all the negativity out of your life. I like to look at life as the glass is half full instead of half empty. Wishing you a Merry Christmas! 🙂

    Reply

  30. I realize that I am coming in late to this posting but here I am. This recipe is the one I used to make years ago for my family but somewhere it got lost in a move. You have no idea how thrilled I am to find it again because it is scrumptious and now my grandchildren love it too. I guess fate made this pop up on my Pinterest feed! I don’t do Facebook. As a retired teacher, I prefer to stay in touch with former students when they call, write or come by my house. After the last election cycle, with all of the lies and hate, I have no interest or faith in social media. I don’t like what has happened to our country. Let’s hope it quickly gets better.

    Reply

  31. I hide negative posts all the time, mostly political now. But on to the good stuff! This recipe is soooo good. It’s my go to from here on out. Cant stand the canned tuff, nor the packets of seasoning. This is very close to my moms. It’s devine! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  33. A family member has to be careful with sugar and carb intake and it looks like your recipe will work for her.
    I plan to use a full 2# of gr. beef, so that will help even more to distribute the ingredients even more.

    Reply

  34. Just made this using 93% lean ground beef and omitting the green peppers . It was absolutely delicious!
    Suspect I will be making this often .

    Reply

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