Believe it or not, I am one of the few people in North America who grew up never having eaten a Sloppy Joe. My husband, however, remembers eating them often and enjoying them. He describes his mom using something from a can and while I am the Canned Soup Mom and never opposed to using convenience products, my sister sent me this recipe and honestly, it doesn't get much easier than this.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt (or other coarse salt) and ground pepper to taste
1lb extra lean ground beef
1 jar tomato sauce (approx. 600ml)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender (approx. 5-7 minutes).
Add beef and cook until no longer pink (approx. 6-8 minutes).
Add tomato sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce into beef mixture. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally (approx. 6-8 minutes).
Serve immediately on buns or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Tips:
Looking for an extra hit of veggies? Add grated carrots and zucchini to the mixture.
Looking for more school lunch ideas? Simply spoon warmed leftover Sloppy Joe mixture into a thermos and pack a pre-sliced bun and a tbsp of grated cheese in separate Tupperware. My kids love assembling their own Sloppy Joes at school.
Looking for more things to serve on buns? Try my Beer Crockpot Pulled Pork or my Three Ingredient Crockpot Chicken Tacos.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Every Day Foods.
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