Now that my son is home for summer, he has some definite opinions about our dinner plans. Last night he announced that he was jonesing for Sloppy Joes. That’s a retro family favorite I hadn’t served up in awhile, and a recipe I love to make. You’re probably thinking, “isn’t that what that jar of sauce is for?’ Well you can go that way if you’re in a terrible hurry, but try these and I’m pretty sure you’ll never pick up that jar again! Besides the buns and the meat, you probably already have everything you need on hand.
The last time I made Sloppy Joes was for a football game party and I served them as “Make Your Own Sloppy Sliders”. There were a lot of guys around that day and they inhaled them, commenting on how delicious they were, and how long it had been since anyone had eaten Sloppy Joes. I don’t know why no one makes them much anymore. Not only is it a fairly economical dish, but also, in the interest of keeping my guys healthy, I substituted ground turkey for ground beef and no one noticed. We eat plenty of red meat in our house and love that too so pick what you like. It’s simple just to put out chips and pickles and call it a meal, and there’s nothing wrong with that menu, but I took it a step further with our sides. We had Sammy’s favorite potato dish we call “Canned” Potatoes and a yummy side salad of green beans and tomatoes – plus the pickles. No one said where are the potato chips?
Here is a recipe for the best Sloppy Joes ever. Of course the potatoes are too good to miss, plus they have a certain entertainment value and who doesn’t like that at dinnertime! So here’s a promise for the recipes for “Canned” Potatoes and Green Bean and Tomato Salad coming (hopefully) tomorrow.
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
1 Ib ground turkey or beef
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped
1 cup ketchup
½ cup water
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1 ½ tsp salt
Buns for serving and butter for toasting – yes it makes a difference!
Directions
Melt butter over medium high heat.
Add ground turkey or beef to brown, stirring frequently.
Add onion and pepper and cook until softened, about five minutes.
Stir in ketchup, water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and vinegar.
Add in seasonings, Worchestershire sauce through salt.
Allow sauce to simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Spread buns with a little melted butter and broil to lightly toast.
Top with Sloppy Joe sauce.
Eat and enjoy!
