Slop, Slop, Sloppy Joes!!

We have sloppy joes a lot in our house.  The kids eat them up and I think I make them pretty healthy compared to some pre-packaged brands.  Now, we do eat them a little differently then one would think.  Instead of sandwiching the wonderful meat mixture in between two hamburger buns we pile it high on soft white bread and top it with shredded cheese.  Quick note, my daughter does not like onions or bell pepper and she has never even noticed they are in this recipe.

Let's get started...

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef (you can also use pork or turkey if you prefer)
• 1 small white onion (coarsely chopped)
• 1 med bell pepper (seeds removed, chopped)
• 1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. steak seasoning (I use Harley's)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• white bread
• shredded cheddar cheese

Note: I don't use any oil in this recipe because the meat should give off enough.  If you are using turkey, or a very lean beef you might want to lightly coat the bottom of the pan with some oil before step #2.


1.  Brown the meat in a hot saute pan.  I use a deep dish saute pan so I can finish the entire meal in it.  Break the meat up with a wooden spoon (can also be plastic) so the meat cooks quickly and evenly.  Using a slotted spoon drain the meat onto a plate covered with a paper towel.  This allows some of the grease to drain a little.

2.  In the same pan the meat was just in add the onion and bell pepper and sweat a little, about 5 min.  Real quick...an easy way that I like to chop bell peppers is to cut around the middle seed pods.  This way I don't have to use my hands to pull seeds out and cleanup is a lot easier.

3.  Add the meat back into the pan with the onion and peppers and heat up a little.  Add the next three ingredients and let simmer for a while...about 5 min.  Now is time to taste!  I would recommend adding a small amount of salt and pepper before and then just check for seasoning. 

4.  Here I usually cover the pan and let it simmer for about 15 min.  Just like a good soup, or stew this helps the ingredients to marry together. 

5.  Now the fun part!!  Place one piece (or two like my husband) of white bread down on your plate.  Smother the bread with at least two spoonfuls of the sloppy joe mixture.  Top with shredded cheese. 

**As you can see from the finished product we like to enjoy our meal with some yummy green beans (out of the can, of course).  ENJOY!!