Have you ever gotten a a mad, out-of-blue craving for something? A meal or a treat you just have to have? This week, I had this crazy yen for Sloppy’s Joe’s. Unfortunately, most of the recipes I found were too big and had too much tomato sauce. I wanted “sloppy joe’s” not “bathe in tomato sauce joes.” And, many of the recipes were also too bland. The only sloppy joe recipe for one person that I found was made with tofu. Nope.
Since I’d been feeling ambitious earlier in the week, I had fresh grass-fed beef on hand, and even homemade buns. If you want to make your own buns, try the recipe at King Arthur Flour’s website. If you don’t want to bother, that’s fine too!
In order to boost the flavor, I added a bit of sriracha to the sauce and increased the Worcestershire sauce slightly.
The recipe includes two different amounts for the ketchup and the tomato sauce, so you can adjust the sauce/beef ratio to your own preferences.
Yes, it was messy. But it was also really good! I have put this under “dinner,” but really you could make it for a weekend lunch too, since it’s easy.
Sloppy Joe Recipe for One Person
Comfort food for the win! Sloppy Joe's really hit the spot on a cool day. This recipe is just right for one person.
Ingredients
- 1-2 T canola or neutral oil
- 2 T onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 lb. ground beef
- 1/4 -1/2 C tomato sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1-2 T ketchup
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 mini bell peppers, chopped (about 2 T)
Instructions
- Heat the oil on medium-low heat in a skillet.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for a minute or two.
- Next, add the minced garlic and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef and cook 5 minutes.
- Now add the tomato sauce, sriracha, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir to combine the ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped peppers and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. This is just enough to heat them while retaining their crunch.
- Spoon the mixture onto a hamburger bun or fresh roll.
Sloppy Joe Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Make it with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef
- Kick up the heat with chili garlic sauce instead of sriracha
- Try half a chopped jalapeño pepper or red pepper flakes
- Add some chili powder and mustard, then balance that with a bit of brown sugar
More Ground Beef Recipes for One Person
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Small Batch Spicy Stovetop Chili Recipe
Take your chili up a notch with a surprise ingredient (sriracha). Sure it may sound surprising, but Asia got the peppers from the Americas, so it works out. A small batch, so you’re not overwhelmed by chili.
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