Crispy chunks of delicious bacon in this saucy sloppy joe mixture makes for an amazing meal. Serve for dinner, lunch, or in slider buns for parties and get togethers!
Saute bacon pieces over medium high heat until crisp and evenly cooked through. Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined dish to drain. Leave the bacon grease in the pan to add flavor while cooking the meat and vegetables.EXPERT TIP: While this is optional, we like the added flavor that comes from cooking the lean ground beef and vegetables in the bacon grease. If you prefer, you can drain the grease completely.
Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned and the onion is soft and translucent.
Drain all of the excess fat from the pan.
To the ground beef mixture, add garlic powder, yellow mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and soy sauce, along with 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly.EXPERT TIP: The soy sauce adds just a little bit more dimension to the sloppy joe flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce.
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir the bacon back into the mixture to distribute evenly.EXPERT TIP: The crisp bacon is a delicious contrast to the sloppy joe mixture. Stirring it in at the end guarantees that it retains that crispness instead of becoming chewy or rubbery by simmering with the rest of the sloppy joe mixture.
Serve on hamburger buns.
Notes
The crisp bacon is a delicious contrast to the sloppy joe mixture. Stirring it in at the end guarantees that it retains that crispness instead of becoming chewy or rubbery by simmering with the rest of the sloppy joe mixture. While this is optional, we like the added flavor from cooking the lean ground beef and vegetables in the bacon grease. If you prefer, you can drain the grease completely.
Note that the nutritional calculation DOES include the bun.
The soy sauce adds just a little bit more dimension to the sloppy joe flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce.