Homemade Sloppy Joes

I could serve these Sloppy Joes every night and my boys wouldn't complain. I wouldn't either. I mean it's savory ground beef with all the seasonings and love. Overflowing from warm rolls... I'm pretty sure that's what dinner dreams are made of.

And when you think about it, Sloppy Joes are built with ingredients we feel warm and fuzzy around anyway - ground beef, ketchup, mustard, soft rolls.

And THESE homemade Sloppy Joes make great use of those (and other) pantry staples. Things like ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and oregano play the most significant roles. And by "significant", I mean they're added. You can certainly play around with ingredients and measurements to make these "your own". This time, I added a little brown sugar. I don't typically do that, but I thought I'd try it. The sweetness perfectly balanced the Worcestershire sauce. And my boys noticed; they commented, "These taste a little sweeter." Good catch boys.

I didn't add vegetables to my mix, but that doesn't mean you can't. I've seen recipes with sauteed red and green bell peppers. And some with carrots too. I chose to stick with onion and garlic and it was perfectly sublime for us. Again, it's a personal choice. If you want to add peppers, saute them with the onion and garlic.

About the rolls: I served my Sloppy Joes on dinner rolls this time because, well, that's what I had in the freezer. Please don't judge - my original plan was slider rolls.  But, when I was shopping, I thought I recalled seeing slider rolls on the counter... When I got home, no rolls. I guess I packed them all in the school lunches. Dinner rolls are basically the same thing - they're just not halved! Use your favorite roll - slider, dinner, Kaiser, hoagie, even hot dog! Anything works - the meat just falls out anyway! Be sure to serve these with spoons...

Homemade Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
8 soft slider rolls or dinner rolls for serving (or any soft rolls of choice), preferably warmed

Brown the beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain away any fat and set aside.
Heat the oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Return the beef to the pan and add the chili powder, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until the herbs and spices are fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes (you can cover the pan with a lid and simmer for up to an hour if you want).
Serve the mixture in soft slider rolls.

Serves 4