It’s family dinner night and you need something to eat. Try sloppy joes! They’re fun, easy, tasty and, well, sloppy! But they’ve also got a healthy kick to them if you’re willing to throw in some fresh produce. The best part is that it doesn’t take long to make. Let’s get started.
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
· 3 tablespoons of olive oil
· 2 cups of chopped green bell pepper
· 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper
· ½ teaspoon of chopped garlic
· 1 ½ teaspoons of chilli powder
· 2 pounds of lean ground beef
· ½ teaspoon of salt
· ¾ cup of water
· 1 12 ounce bottle of chilli sauce
· 1 ½ tablespoons of Worcerstershire sauce
· 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
· 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
· 2 tablespoons of oatmeal
· Hamburger buns
Directions
1. Start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet. Then add the onion and bell peppers and sauté them until they’re tender. Add garlic and chilli powder and sauté for another minute or so.
2. Add the ground beef and salt and cook until the beef is browned. Drain grease.
3. Then add the water, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce and tomato paste. Stir and bring to a boil
4. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Stir in oats and cook for 7 minutes, uncovered.
6. Cool the mixture and serve on hamburger buns.
Sloppy joes are great for picnics, barbecues or any occasion in which you don’t need to prepare something fancy. Special school lunches can be made cooler with sloppy joes. If the occasion is less formal then it’s fair game to break out this sloppy joe recipe. You can make it healthier by using whole grain hamburger buns rather than plain white ones. You will receive some dietary benefit from the produce in the recipe.
This recipe serves 8. Just double or triple the recipe (or whatever necessary) if you’re cooking for a large crowd. Also, sloppy joes freeze very nicely. You can whip up a large batch of them, throw the mixture into freezer bags or plastic containers, label them, freeze them, and bring them out when you feel like eating them. Just thaw them out and heat the mixture in a skillet. Preparing a large batch and then freezing will save you quite a bit of work later on. This way you can have sloppy joes any time!
Now that you know the basics, you’re ready to make the best sloppy joes this side of town!
Derek Clendening - I'm a freelance writer and have combined writing with my love of football. I'm very opinionated about football, which you can learn more ...
