Sprig Originals's kitchen / Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
By Sprig Originals · cooked up in Sprig
Worked out from this recipe's ingredients. If you're cooking for an allergy, always read the full ingredient list.
A 25-minute weeknight skillet dinner kids actually finish: sweet-smoky barbecue beef spooned over toasted buns with a layer of melted mild cheddar. The onion is grated so it melts right into the sauce, and there's nothing spicy, chunky, or unfamiliar to negotiate over. One pan, one sheet tray, and everyone builds their own.
Ingredients
BBQ Beef Filling
- 1 lb ground beef (85/15)
- 1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated
- 3/4 cup mild smoky barbecue sauce
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
To Serve
- 6 soft hamburger buns, split
- 6 slices mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and grated onion and cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains and the onion has disappeared into the meat.
- Tip the skillet and spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat, then return it to the burner.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon and no longer runny.
- While the beef simmers, heat the broiler with a rack 6 inches below it. Lay the split buns cut side up on a baking sheet and place a slice of cheddar on each bottom half.
- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted and the top halves are lightly toasted at the edges. Pull them out before they brown too far.
- Spoon the hot BBQ beef over the cheesy bottom buns, about 1/2 cup each, cap with the toasted tops, and let sit 1 minute so the cheese hugs the meat before serving.
Chef's tips
- Grating the onion on the large holes of a box grater is the whole trick: it dissolves into the sauce, so picky eaters get the flavour without finding any pieces.
- Ground turkey works just as well; add an extra tablespoon of water while simmering since it's leaner.
- The filling keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months. Reheat in a saucepan with a splash of water until loose and bubbly.
- Serve with oven fries, corn on the cob, or apple slices. For a lower-mess version for little kids, spoon the beef over a split baked potato instead of a bun.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
620calories
29gprotein
77gcarbs
22gfat
Estimates only — values vary with brands and portions.
Made with Sprig
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