Sloppy Joes

I still have traumatic flashbacks about these horrifically awful sloppy joes that a babysitter of mine used to make for me when I was in elementary school. She served them to us all the time with canned mandarin oranges. They basically consisted of ground beef, lots of ketchup and soggy buns.  Or there was that one time that my grandma put raw beef onto hamburger buns, squirted them with ketchup, broiled them in the oven and then called them sloppy joes. They were really just bloody, ketchup covered, piles of goo. Sounds good right? Gag. Cringe. Puke. She doesn't have the internet so I can call her out like that. . .sorry Gram.

Needless to say sloppy joes needed to be redeemed for me in a major way. I found this recipe in my "Skillet Suppers" magazine put out by Cook's Illustrated. After I got past the initial feelings of dread and horror that I usually associate with this meal I decided to give them a try. They were so good and so easy that I now feed them to my family on a regular basis. I hope that they have more positive memories about sloppy joes than I do. :)

You can modify this recipe however you like. If you want a lower fat version then you can substitute ground turkey for beef. If you like things spicy (Sloppy Joses) then increase the chili powder to 1 T, add 2 T of ground cumin and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper with the spices and 1 chipotle chile, seeded and minced and a can of black beans after you cook the meat. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 lb 85 percent lean ground beef (I use grass-fed)

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp brown sugar

1 cup tomato puree (I use Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes)

1/2 cup ketchup (I use Organic Ketchup from Trader Joes)

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

hamburger buns

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, salt and stir until coated with oil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until just pink, about 3 minutes. Add pepper, brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, and hot sauce. Simmer until sauce is slightly thicker than ketchup, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto hamburger buns. Serve with sweet potato fries or chips.