Homemade Sloppy Joes From Scratch | Easy Weeknight Dinner

Hey Sunflowers! 🌻 Come on over to the Homestead, pull up a chair, and chat with me while I make one of those meals that takes you straight back to childhood… Sloppy Joes! There’s just something about a big, messy Sloppy Joe on a soft bun that brings back memories. Maybe you remember having them at home for dinner or eating them for school lunch. Today we’re making ours from scratch, THK style! 🌻 A LITTLE SLOPPY JOE HISTORY Sloppy Joes have been around for generations, although exactly who created the sandwich is still debated. One popular story traces the Sloppy Joe back to Sioux City, Iowa, around 1930, where a cook named Joe reportedly added tomato sauce to the loose meat sandwiches that were already popular in the Midwest. However it got started, the Sloppy Joe eventually became one of those classic American meals that showed up at family dinner tables and school cafeterias everywhere. And for a lot of us, one bite can take you right back to childhood. ❤️ 🛒 THK HOMESTEAD SLOPPY JOE SHOPPING LIST Want to make these along with me? Screenshot this list and take it to the grocery store! 🌻 MEAT Ground beef I used 2 pounds, but the amount of ground beef will depend on the size of your family. Feeding a smaller family? Use less. Got a hungry crew at home? Add more! Just adjust the other ingredients as needed. PRODUCE 1 medium onion 1 bell pepper SAUCES & PANTRY Tomato paste Tomato sauce Original barbecue sauce Yellow mustard Brown sugar SEASONINGS Tony Chachere’s seasoning or your favorite all purpose seasoning Garlic salt Smoked paprika BREAD Hamburger buns 🌻 THK HOMESTEAD SLOPPY JOES My recipe today is based on 2 pounds of ground beef, but remember that you can make a smaller or larger batch depending on your family. Use these measurements as a starting point. Around here, we taste as we go! Add a little more or a little less depending on what tastes good to YOU. INGREDIENTS 2 lbs ground beef 1 medium onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced Tony Chachere’s seasoning, to taste Or use your favorite all purpose seasoning Garlic salt, just a light sprinkle 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or to taste 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce ½ to ¾ cup original barbecue sauce Hamburger buns for serving 🌻 LET’S MAKE IT! Brown your ground beef in a large skillet. Drain off any excess grease if needed. Add your diced onion and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften. Season the meat with Tony Chachere’s or your favorite seasoning. Add the smoked paprika and just a LIGHT sprinkle of garlic salt. Go easy on that garlic salt, Sunflowers! Tony’s already has salt in it, and we can always add more seasoning later. 😂 Stir in the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add the original barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, and brown sugar. Mix everything together really well. Turn the heat down and let your Sloppy Joe mixture simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes so all those flavors can get to know each other. Now comes the important part… TASTE IT! 😋 Want it sweeter? Add a little more brown sugar. Want more tang? Give it another squeeze of mustard. Want more smoky flavor? Add a little more smoked paprika. Need more seasoning? Add a little. This is YOUR kitchen, so make it taste good to YOU! 🌻 NOW LET’S EAT! Pile that saucy goodness HIGH on a hamburger bun. And don’t worry when some starts falling out the sides. 😂 If it isn’t a little messy, is it even a Sloppy Joe?! This is one of the things I love about life on the Homestead. Everything doesn’t have to be fancy. Sometimes it’s good food, an old childhood memory, laughing and talking in the kitchen, and slowing down long enough to enjoy being home. So come on to the Homestead and chat with me while we cook, laugh, reminisce, and make another memory together. 🌻 NOW I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Were Sloppy Joes part of your childhood? And here’s the REAL question… Did your family make them from scratch, or were y’all a Manwich house? 😂 Tell me in the comments! Thanks for coming to the Homestead, Sunflowers! 🌻 Faith • Family • Homestead #TheHomesteadingKontessa #THKHomesteadSloppyJoes #SloppyJoes #SloppyJoeRecipe #ChildhoodMemories #NostalgicFood #ComfortFood #HomesteadCooking #HomeCooking #EasyDinner