Beef Sloppy Joes Bun (Printable Version)

Tender ground beef meets tangy tomato sauce on soft toasted buns for a satisfying meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferred)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Sauce & Seasonings

05 - 1 cup tomato sauce
06 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
07 - 2 tbsp ketchup
08 - 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
09 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
10 - 1 tsp yellow mustard
11 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
12 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
13 - 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
14 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

→ To Serve

15 - 4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
16 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter (optional, for toasting buns)
17 - Sliced pickles (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
02 - Add diced onion, green bell pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook until softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
03 - Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes. Mix until fully incorporated.
04 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Adjust seasoning to taste.
05 - Optionally, spread butter on the split sides of hamburger buns and toast on a skillet or under a broiler until golden brown.
06 - Spoon the beef mixture generously onto the bottom half of each toasted bun. Add sliced pickles if desired, then cover with the top half. Serve immediately.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one skillet, so cleanup takes less time than eating does.
  • The balance of tangy tomato and brown sugar hits that sweet-savory spot without tasting like ketchup on meat.
  • You can double the batch and freeze half for nights when even twenty minutes feels like too much.
02 -
  • If you skip draining the fat after browning, the sauce will be oily and the flavors won't shine through.
  • Letting the mixture simmer too long on high heat will dry it out, so keep it on low once you add the sauce.
  • Toasting the buns is not optional if you want them to hold up, untoasted buns will soak through and fall apart in your hands.
03 -
  • Taste the sauce before you scoop it onto the buns and adjust the salt, sugar, or mustard to your preference, it makes all the difference.
  • Use a slotted spoon to serve so excess sauce stays in the pan and doesn't make the buns soggy.
  • If you have leftover filling, it's fantastic over baked potatoes or stirred into mac and cheese the next day.

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