Southwest Sloppy Joes

These mouthwatering Southwest sloppy joes are a twist on a classic sloppy joe sandwich, filled with lots of zesty and smoky ingredients. Prepared with lean ground beef, black beans, warm spices, diced chilis and red onion, then topped with warm queso cheese, this sloppy joes recipe is a bit more savory than sweet, and delicious served with corn chips for scooping!

Sloppy Joes Get a Zesty Makeover

One of my favorite lunches to get from the school cafeteria back in elementary school was the sloppy joe sandwich.

Delightfully messy, and well...sloppy, I loved how the ground beef in its rich sauce was piled into a soft hamburger bun, and each warm bite would be a little cozy taste of comfort, especially on a cold Michigan winter day.

Those sloppy joes tasted kind of like a hug in food form!

While it's been quite a while now since I've enjoyed a sloppy joe sandwich, I thought it would be fun to experiment with a more grown-up and healthy version of this classic, made with zippy, smoky ingredients and with a Southwest vibe.

My Southwest sloppy joes are a little more savory than they are sweet (I prefer them this way). They're made with ground beef, black beans, red onions, diced chilis and warming spices added into the sauce mixture.

And the topper? I love drizzling some warm and creamy queso over the sloppy joe mixture.

The warm Southwest spices and the melted queso make these sloppy joes so delicious, and such a fun new way to enjoy this childhood favorite!

My Recipe for Southwest Sloppy Joes

Typical sloppy joes can be quite sweet, and this is something that, for my taste, can be a little too intense.

This is because classic sloppy joes are made with quite a lot of ketchup in the mixture, as well as brown sugar to give them that sweeter flavor.

For my sloppy joes recipe, I'm taking things in a more savory and spiced direction, and skipping the ketchup altogether...

Since sloppy joes definitely do need some tomato flavor, I'm using a touch of tomato paste as well as tomato sauce to help create that rich, spoonable sauce. I'm also adding in mild, diced green chilis, diced red onion, a little garlic, and a can of organic black beans for added body.

In addition, I'm using lots of smoky spices such as cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder, for that depth you get with Southwest flavors.

Quick and easy to mix up and simmer up in no time, this Southwest sloppy joes mixture gets pile into toasted burger buns then topped with warm, creamy queso. Yum!

And with a side of corn chips for scooping/dipping up the extra sloppy joe mixture (which, of course, inevitably ends up on the plate!), or sweet potato wedges or diced avocado, you have one scrumptious and zesty take on sloppy joes!

Here's a sneak peek at how I make my Southwest Sloppy Joes recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I mix together my spices to have my spice mixture ready and on hand.
2. Next, I add my diced onion to a large non-stick skillet, and once softened, add in my ground beef and break it up to cook easily.
3. I add the aromatic herbs and the spice mixture next, followed by a kiss of Worcestershire sauce and my tomato ingredients, plus my drained and rinsed black beans.
4. The sloppy joe mixture is gently simmered for a few minutes to tighten it up, then finished with fresh cilantro.
5. Next, I spoon a generous scoop of the mixture onto a toasted bun, top with warm, melted queso, and cover with the top bun.
6. I like to serve with corn chips or roasted sweet potatoes, perhaps even avocado wedges.

Recipe

Southwest Sloppy Joes

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These zesty, Southwest sloppy joes are brimming with warming spices, diced chilis and black beans, then topped with creamy queso!

Category: Sandwich
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 524 calories (per sloppy joe sandwich)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon chipotle powder (depending on how spicy you like things)
• Avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7 ratio)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced, mild green chilis, drained of juices
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 (scant) tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (heaping) tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
• 6 large burger buns or Kaiser rolls, toasted
• ¾ (generous) cup queso (from a jar), warm
• Corn chips, to serve alongside (optional)

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, coriander and chipotle powder to a small dish or ramekin, and use a fork to mix together. Set this spice mixture aside for a moment.
3. Next, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced onion and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes unit softened and lightly golden.
4. Add in the ground beef, and using a spoon or spatula, break it up into small crumble. Sprinkle in a couple of generous pinches of salt and black pepper, and cook the meat with the onions for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink.
5. Then, sprinkle in the spice mixture, and add in the diced green chilis and the garlic, and stir to incorporate. Once aromatic, sprinkle in the flour and stir to blend it into the beef.
6. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste, then pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine well, adding more salt and pepper, as needed. Add in the black beans, and stir those in to combine.
7. Turn down the heat to low, and allow the sloppy joe meat mixture to very gently simmer, uncovered, for about 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.
9. To assemble the Southwest sloppy joes, place the bottom toasted roll or bun on your plate, and spoon on about a heaping ½ cup (or a little more) of the sloppy joe mixture. Drizzle over some of the warm queso, and gently cover with the top roll or bun.
10. Serve hot with crispy corn chips or your favorite accompaniments on the side.

Tips & Tidbits for my Southwest Sloppy Joes recipe:

• Lean ground beef: I'm option for lean (93/7 ratio) organic, grassfed ground beef here, but feel free to use 80/20 if that's what you like, or have on hand. You could substitute a small amount of soft, Mexican-style chorizo sausage if you'd like, for an added kick.
• Creamy queso, for rich, cheesy flavor: We just love to add warm queso as a topping to these Southwest sloppy joes, because it adds a savory cheesy note. If you're not a fan of queso, you could sub shredded cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese, and allow that to melt over top of the hot sloppy joe filling mixture once spooned into the bun.
• Make them as spicy as you'd like, or go mild: If you like a little added kick, then add a bit more chipotle powder, or even some cayenne pepper to your mix. Conversely, if you'd like to make these extra mild, make sure you're using mild diced chili peppers, and go lighter on the chipotle powder.
• Don't overly fill your sloppy joes: While sloppy joes are notoriously sloppy, take care not to add too much filling to your buns or most of it may end up on your plate. A generous ½ cup of filling usually is perfect, and using a light touch rather than squeezing the sandwich too tightly when taking a bite will keep things better intact.
• Make these sloppy joes ahead: You can make this filling a day or two ahead, and then gently reheat it in a skillet when ready to serve and enjoy.

Craving more deliciously cozy and zesty entrees? Check out my recipe for a Southwest Chicken Sandwich, or my recipe for Southwest Sweet Potato Casserole, a Stuffed Chicken Breast Southwest Style, a Sweet Potato Bowl with Carne Asada, a Chicken Burrito Bowl, or my recipe for zippy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!