Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are super Americana right?  Do other countries eat Sloppy Joes?  Perhaps by another name?  Truth be told, they're not my favorite dinner.  I like them well enough, but I'm never like "Man, I could really go for some Sloppy Joes."  Nevertheless, they're a genius way to get in vegetables, especially if you have kids who aren't wild about them.  They're also pretty easy to put together if you have a food processor.  I highly recommend a food processor for this.  I mean, you could open a can of Manwich if you want it to be super easy, but this has got to taste way better than meat from a can.

This is actually a recipe I adapted from a Weight Watchers cookbook, so it's friendly to your waistline as well as your tastebuds.  Did that sound cheesy?  Hmm.  I'll try to keep that in check.
 This makes that waaaay easier than chopping by hand.
You need a carrot.  You need it to be finely chopped.
You also need half a green bell pepper, half an onion, and a stalk of celery.  All finely chopped.
In a little olive oil in a large pan, sauté the vegetables over medium heat.  Let them get soft.  Add dried thyme and oregano.
Add a pound of ground beef and let it get brown and lovely, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
Stir together a small can of tomato paste and a can of petite diced tomatoes.  Add it to the ground beef and veggies.
Add some Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.  Let it come up to a boil then lower the heat to simmer a few minutes.
I like it on a mayonnaised bun.  With oven fries.  And a pickle.  It's an easy enough weeknight dinner and loaded with vegetables to make you feel good about eating it.

Sloppy Joes (makes 4-5 servings)
Adapted from Weight Watchers

1 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lb lean ground beef
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp hot sauce (depending on your heat tolerance)
Salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns for serving
  • In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the vegetables and sauté until the veggies are soft.  Add thyme, oregano, and ground beef.  Break up the beef with a wooden spoon and cook until nicely browned.  
  • Stir together tomato paste and diced tomatoes in a small bowl.  Add the mixture to the ground beef and cook 1 minute.  Add Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer mixture about 10 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns.

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