Honey Gochujang Sloppy Joe Sliders
Honey and gochujang come together for sweet and spicy magic in these sloppy joe sliders! These are super easy to make and don’t require many ingredients. Using carrot and onion as aromatics and pickles is a nice way to showcase different flavors from the same vegetables!
The inspiration for this recipe
For me, this is the biggest time of the year for a weeknight cooking rut. Georgina and I are both crazy busy with work and half the time we break down and grab takeout. It’s important to have a handful of super simple recipes that are really flavorful and easy to make, or else the cycle of not eating well and not feeling motivated to cook will continue. Today’s recipe is just that! These honey gochujang sloppy joe sliders come together quick, only use a few ingredients
Make the quick pickles first
Dice half the veggies, and slice the other half. Put the sliced oned in a jar with some salt and vinegar, then set the diced ones aside in the fridge until it’s time to cook. With this little bit of prep, the meal will come together that much quicker later!
Cook the honey gochujang sloppy joe mixture
When using such lean ground beef, you can skip the step of browning the meat first and draining all the fat and it saves so much time! Just cook the veggies first, make some space in the center of the pan, and add in the meat.
Get some nice browning on the meat and veggies to build up lots of flavor before adding the liquids.
The gochujang adds a great umami kick, and the honey balances the heat and gives the meat that nice sticky sloppy joe texture.
Serving the honey gochujang sloppy joe sliders
I like to toast the buns, then just dump on the sloppy joe goodness! Top with a little of the pickles and dig in!
The quick pickled carrot and onion is perfect to cut through the deep savory flavors of the meat. This is a perfect comfort dinner for us, and it will be staying in our weeknight rotation for a while!
I grabbed some bakery dinner rolls for this slider. Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, it is important that they are all fantastic – bread included!
Twists on this recipe
You could add some jalapeno to the veggie to add a little kick if you wanted. You could also add a little ketchup and/or worcestershire sauce to make it taste a little more like American style sloppy joes. I was aiming to make them with as little ingredients as possible so that is why I kept it so minimal.
For more fun gochujang recipes, check out my honey gochujang fried chicken, whisky gochujang grilled chicken, or this amazing gochujang vodka sauce!
Gochujang is one of my all time favorite ingredients. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can read more about it here!
Honey Gochujang Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- 2 large carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup distilled vinegar plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup gochujang paste
- 2 tabespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 10 slider sized rolls
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half – dice one half, and cutthe other into long strips
- Dice one carrot, and cut the other into long strips
- Mince three of the garlic cloves, and smash the 4th
- Put the sliced carrot and onion and the smashed garlic clove into a jar and pour the cup of vinegar over it. Season with salt and pour in enough water to cover the veggies. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, add some olive oil and the diced carrot and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften.
- Spread the veggies out to the edges of the pan and add the beef to the center. Cook to brown on all sides, breaking it up as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the gochujang to the pan, along with the honey. Add in the 2 tablespoons of vinegar, soy sauce, and a splash of water. Stir to combine, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Serve the meat with the rolls and pickled veggies, allowing everyone to build their own sliders.
Couldn’t stop eating it while it was cooking, and then I ate 3 after. SO GOOD.
Love to hear it, Thanks!
Amazing combo. This is my new go-to for gochujang.
go-to gochu