Easy Weeknight Recipe: Sloppy Joes — Recipes from The Kitchn |Cooking With Amanda

A few weeks ago, I opened my great grandmother's church cookbook at random and found myself looking at a dog-eared recipe for "Untidy Josephs" scrawled with notes. I quickly realized that these were the long-lost sloppy joes of my childhood, and just a quickly, I knew I had to have them for dinner.

This is nostalgia at its finest, at least for this Midwestern-raised girl. The savory hamburger takes center stage, as it should, though thinly sliced mushrooms and a handful of onions bulk up the mix and help to slip some veggies into the meal. The sauce has a deep tomato flavor and a slight sweetness that I love. A splash of cider vinegar is the final touch to bringing out all the flavors in each chewy bite. It's good to know that some things are still as good as we remember.

I've made a few tweaks and clarifications to the original recipe shared by one Ms. Shirley Nelson of Stillwater, Minnesota, but these are still the sloppy joes that I remember. Serve them on softest, spongiest hamburger rolls you can find and get ready with the napkins.

Tester's Notes

I love sloppy joes without shame or apology. They are messy and meaty and include ketchup as a key ingredient. I wouldn't change a thing.

This recipe has definitely held up to the test of time. Since first posting it back in 2008, I've decided that I like a little more vinegar and a little less sugar, but other than that, it has stayed the same. When you're making it, it seems like the amount of vegetables might overwhelm the meat, but have faith — given a chance to simmer for a few minutes, the sauce comes together just as it should.

The sloppy joe sauce freezes beautifully, so I recommend making a double batch and freezing it in portions that can be quickly reheated. A little insider's tip: this also makes a killer pasta sauce.

Enjoy!

Emma, January 2014

Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Favorite Recipes from First United Methodist Church of Still Water, Minnesota

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 carrot, peeled and chopped small
8- to 10-ounce package mushrooms (button or baby bella), sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 hamburger buns

In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Break it up into small bits as you cook. Once browned, transfer the beef and any juices to a clean bowl and set aside.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots look softened, about five minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about thirty seconds.

Return the ground beef to the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (if using), salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste the sauce, adding more vinegar, salt, or sugar if desired. If the sauce is too thin for your taste, simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes until the desired thickness is reached.

Serve on hamburger buns. Don't forget a napkin.

The sloppy joe sauce will keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.

This recipe and post have been updated. Originally published July 2008.