Yearning for a Childhood Staple

As we meandered through the market about a month ago, it was brought to my attention that John had never had a sloppy joe sandwich!  As a child of the 80's, the sloppy joe sandwich was a pretty regular occurrence on the home menu.  It was one of my most favorite meals.  So it was baffling to hear John say that he had no idea what a sloppy joe actually was.  I knew I had to resolve this issue immediately.  And to me, John never having enjoyed a sloppy joe sandwich was, indeed, an issue!

We ended up buying a can of sloppy joe sauce that day.  I'm not sure how it happened, because when I went to make the sandwiches I read the back of the can and saw a multitude of ingredients I didn't want to ingest.  Alright, I admit, multitude may be overkill.  But the high fructose corn syrup was pretty high up on the ingredient list and I hate that ingredient.  However, that topic is for another day.  Todays' topic is the sloppy joe recipe that I created so I could indulge in a childhood favorite meal and share it with my family without having to sacrifice our healthy lifestyle and diet.

This is definitely a recipe I will make over and over again now that I have found a way to create the flavor I want with good ingredients.  I hope you enjoy this healthy twist on an old favorite!

Sloppy Joes

Makes 6-8 sandwiches; Total Time is roughly 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey

1 Can Diced Tomatoes, Seasoned with Basil, Oregano, and Garlic

1Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar

2Tbl Worcestershire Sauce

1 1/2Tbl Brown Sugar

2Tbl Tomato Paste

2Tbl Grapeseed Oil

1/2Tbl Butter

1tsp Brown Mustard

1 Small Onion, Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium high and add the onion once the butter has melted.  Turn heat down to medium and sauté, covered,  until the onion starts to caramelize (about 8-10 minutes).  Add ground meat and brown.  Once the meat has browned, add the bell pepper.  Sauté, covered, stirring occasionally for five minutes.  Then add the can of diced tomatoes and stir until thoroughly mixed in.  Add the vinegar, worcestershire, sugar, mustard, and tomato paste.  Mix thoroughly and simmer, uncovered, about five minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on lightly toasted burger buns.