I stumbled upon a recipe for Italian Sloppy Joes on the Food Network that looked and sounded delicious so I decided to make it for dinner recently. I don’t love super sweet sloppy joes so I really liked the idea of an Italian version. I decided to make ours open faced so they would be easier to eat, I used less meat so it would be extra saucy, and used much less butter than the original recipe. The recipe was easy to make and I loved that our meal was on the table in less than and hour and I didn’t have a ton of dishes to clean. My husband, son, and I all thought these Italian Sloppy Joes were terrific while my daughter just thought they were okay. I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
How to Make Open-Faced Italian Sloppy Joes
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef then season with a bit of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, breaking up the meat with the spatula until it is well browned and in crumbles, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the fat and remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes then cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, and oregano then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste then cook, stirring until well incorporated into the onion & peppers, about 1-2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the beef and its juices then mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the garlic toast.
Make the garlic toast by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the softened butter with fresh parsley, garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; mix well. Slice the French bread into 8 thick slices then spread the butter mixture evenly over the top of each slice.
Ingredients
Italian Sloppy Joes:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
- 2-3 tsp sugar, to taste
- Fresh parmesan, for serving
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for serving
Garlic Toast:
- 4 tbsp salted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 loaf of French bread
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
Instructions
- Make the sauce by heating one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef then season with a bit of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, breaking up the meat with the spatula, until it is well browned and in crumbles, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the fat and remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, red bell pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes then cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, basil, and oregano then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste then cook, stirring until well incorporated into the onion & peppers, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar then stir to combine. Add the beef and its juices then mix well. Simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the garlic toast. Taste and re-season if needed before serving.
- Make the garlic toast by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine the softened butter with fresh parsley, garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; mix well.
- Slice the French bread into 8 thick slices then spread the butter mixture evenly over the top of each slice.
- Place the slices of bread, butter side up, on a baking sheet then place them into the oven to bake for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and toasted.
- To serve, spoon sauce over a slice of garlic toast letting the sauce cascade over the sides. Top with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
