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Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite foods from childhood, but we didn’t really have them at home. I associate them with summer campouts at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where my camp counselors would throw together Manwich and ground beef in big skillets over camp stoves.
It wasn’t until much later that I started making sloppy Joes from scratch, but they have become a family favorite in my home. We like them lightly sweetened, flavorful, and tangy. A mixture of ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, and brown sugar forms the base of the sauce, with just a pinch of cumin thrown in to bring out the savoriness in the ground beef. I also like to add plenty of vegetables, including carrots, green bell pepper, and canned tomatoes.
One afternoon, planning what to make for dinner, it occurred to me that to make our Sloppy Joes a little less sloppy, we could eat them with pasta rather than on buns. And even better, I could cook everything in one big skillet for a super-easy one-pan meal.
The dish turned out exactly as I had imagined it, with perfectly cooked noodles in a meaty, hearty, vegetable-packed skillet. And so, a new spin on an old favorite was born.
Simply Recipes / Coco Morante
Toppings and Sides
My family enjoys this skillet dinner topped with the same things we like on our sloppy Joe sandwiches: sliced pickles for the kiddos, plus sliced onions and pickled jalapeños for the grownups. You can also add a little fresh chopped parsley if you have it on hand. For crunch, try sprinkling on some fried onions.
I like to serve this hearty skillet meal with a green salad or some garlic bread on the side.
More Skillet Dinners
Optional toppings for this dish include fresh chopped parsley, pickle chips, thinly sliced onions, pickled or candied sliced jalapeños, and/or fried onions.
Cook Mode
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1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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1 pound 90% lean ground beef
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2 carrots, grated or diced
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1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
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1 small yellow onion, diced
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2 cloves garlic, chopped
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
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1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
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1/4 cup ketchup
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2 tablespoons brown sugar
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1 tablespoon yellow mustard
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1 tablespoon soy sauce
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8 ounces elbow macaroni
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2 cups water or low-sodium beef broth
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Sauté the beef:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and sauté, breaking up the meat with a spatula as it cooks, until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
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Add the vegetables and sauce:
Add the carrots, bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and soy sauce. Let come to a simmer, then cook until thickened slightly, another 5 minutes.
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Add the pasta:
Stir in the macaroni and water or broth. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook, covered, until the noodles are mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes.
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Finish:
Remove the lid from the skillet. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the noodles are fully cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir everything one last time. Spoon onto serving plates and serve right away with toppings as desired.
Let any leftovers cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge in a tightly lidded container for up to 4 days. Reheat a serving in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 469 | Calories |
| 18g | Fat |
| 38g | Carbs |
| 38g | Protein |
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 469 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| 18g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 30% |
| 101mg | 34% |
| 957mg | 42% |
| 38g | 14% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 18% |
| Total Sugars 14g | |
| 38g | |
| Vitamin C 37mg | 186% |
| Calcium 94mg | 7% |
| Iron 5mg | 30% |
| Potassium 956mg | 20% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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