sloppy joes

I don’t like to admit this, but one of Grant’s favorite meals that I make is sloppy joes. I wish it were something a little healthier and somehow more glamorous, but what can you do? Homemade sloppy joes are so easy, so they’re a go-to meal around here when I’m home late from work, everyone’s hungry, and I haven’t planned anything for dinner. Try some soon!

Sloppy Joes
Very loosely adapted from Rachael Ray long ago

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef/pork/chicken/turkey (it works great for any of these meat choices, but ground pork is my favorite)
1 tbsp McCormick Montreal steak seasoning (my mom makes us a homemade version of this every year for Christmas. I don’t want to ask for the recipe quite yet for fear of not getting it for Christmas, but I think it’s quite similar to this recipe)
2 tbsp real maple syrup (or brown sugar if you would prefer – if using brown sugar, use about 1/4 cup)
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup water

Directions

Brown the meat. As the meat is browning, add the maple syrup and seasoning. Once the meat has browned, add the onions and cook on medium-low until the onions are translucent. Add the red wine vinegar and stir into the meat and onion mixture. Next add the Worcester sauce and stir, and then add the tomato paste and water. Stir until thoroughly combined. Simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Serve on toasted buns – with something green please!

Tips:

• When they’re in season (or frozen in our freezer), I like to add a diced red pepper just after the onions for some extra flavor and to get an extra veggie in there.
• I like to make a little “paste” of butter and minced garlic that I spread on the buns and then broiler in the oven for a few minutes.
• If you like your joes a little thinner, use a bit more water.
• I like to double the batch and freeze the leftovers, which makes for a really quick meal for another night.

I made these the other night because I was home late from work and had a meeting that evening. I had hopes of getting a picture of some of the leftovers at least, but the boys ruined that plan by eating every last morsel. I’ll try to add a picture next time around!