A sloppy joe recipe with a few extra ingredients.

I can’t believe that at 26 years old I was still saying that I never tried a sloppy joe before. Growing up in an Arabian household, my mom very seldom made us unique cuisines outside of our cultural dishes, so we never had the opportunity to enjoy that messy goodness that is a sloppy joe. This week, I decided to pull up my sleeves and take the plunge. I was ready to sink my teeth into my very own homemade version of this delectable sandwich.

Our infatuation with the hamburger’s cousin started when we first watched Billy Madison. If you can remember, right before Billy passes the third grade (oh what a glorious day-ee-ayy) him and his friends get served “extra sloppy” joes by the crazy cafeteria lady. And then, sloppy joes sparked our attention once again with Mary-Kate and Ashley’s iconic movie It Takes Two. (Fun fact: both of these movies were released in 1995, so I guess sloppy joes were trending hardcore that year!) 

I went with a standard recipe and added extra flavors and components for a creation that I could call my own. 

All sloppy joe recipes are different based on your preference, but I decided to add hot sauce into the beef mix for. And because I’m such a cheese fiend, I topped the sandwich off with delicious slices of pepper jack cheese for fiery punch. The results? Melt-in-your-mouth good. Yes, they were that good. I couldn’t stop eating, and you won’t either.

1 lb. ground beef

1 white onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped 

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste

pepper jack cheese slices 

Kaiser rolls 

+ Directions: Start by putting olive oil into a pan and turning on the heat to medium/high. Add the beef and break it up into small pieces as it heats. 

As the beef browns, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onions and green peppers. For about 8 to 10 minutes, mix until pink is completely gone from beef and as seasonings blend.

Add tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Let mixture thicken for about five to ten minutes. 

Toast Kaiser buns, spoon ground beef mixture in and top off beef with pepper jack cheese. It will melt into the beef from the heat of the stove for an ooey gooey experience with every bite!