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Homemade Sloppy Joes are the ultimate nostalgic comfort food. Served with a crisp green salad or mixed steamed veg, you could be in an episode of an 80's sitcom. The good news is, it's just as tasty as you remember from childhood.
I mentioned the other day on Instagram that I'm so over carrying around this extra lockdown weight. I don't know anyone who didn't gain a few pounds after months stuck indoors, and naturally, I was no exception. It didn't bother me at first. I was wearing yoga clothes every day and not seeing anyone. But now that I'm back at work, it's getting in the way.
I've committed to working out every day (hashtag your posts #awesomeon20moves if you want to join me). Exercise is always the first thing to go when I get stressed out, and going back to work has definitely been stressful. But of course, that won't be enough. I'm just not sure I'm equipped to relinquish the comfort of familiar foods. Eating healthy makes me sad, and there are so many other things making me sad right now. I need help.
What makes this recipe awesome?
I made these homemade Sloppy Joes for the first time a few weeks ago based on a recipe from Feast by Nigella Lawson. After the first bite, I was like "this is fine." But then as I continued eating, I realized I definitely wanted to eat this again and again.
This recipe has enough going on that you can use lean ground beef and not miss the extra fat. Whole wheat buns also add a bit of texture. Of course, i couldn't resist adding a sprinkling of cheese. Oh, and hot sauce. Plenty of hot sauce. If you're making this for people with varying spice tolerance, it's still good if you add the hot sauce at the table.
How to make Homemade Sloppy Joes
To make this recipe, you'll start by blitzing some veggies, onion, carrot, and celery, parsley, and garlic, in a food processor. If you want the veggies a little chunkier, you can chop them by hand. Smaller suits me better as a picky eater. We're also going to grind up a few slices of bacon to get things started. Dump all that into a big pot to cook until softened.
Next, brown some lean ground beef with the veggies. Then, rather than using a bunch of ketchup and sugar, we're going to stir in a can of ready to eat tomato soup. The original recipe specifies Heinz, and that's what I used. Use what you like. You're looking for a smooth canned tomato soup, and not condensed. If you do use condensed soup, like Campbell's, you'll probably want to add water or milk to the mixture. Easier to just go for one that 's just heat and eat. Some Worcestershire sauce is going in the pot as well,
Then all that's left to do is to let that simmer away for a while so all the flavors can get together. Add a good dash of hot sauce if that suits you. Scoop this onto a hamburger bun, sprinkle over some cheese, and dig in. You can eat this with your hands if you're feeling brave, but I use a knife and fork. Sloppy is in the name, so I feel like that's fair warning.
We could all use a good bit of comfort at the moment, and dinner seems like the perfect place for it. Keep things simple with Homemade Sloppy Joes. It's gonna be awesome.
Looking for more easy and awesome dinner ideas? Try this Garlic & Herb Baked Chicken.
PrintHomemade Sloppy Joes
Homemade Sloppy Joes are the ultimate nostalgic comfort food. Served with a crisp green salad or mixed steamed veg, you could be in an episode of an 80's sitcom. The good news is, it's just as tasty as you remember from childhood.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 55
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 slices streaky bacon
- 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 14 ounce can ready to eat tomato soup, such as Heinz
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
- 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Put your bacon in the food processor and process until ground to small bits. Add the roughly chopped onion and carrot, and process. Finally, add in the parsley, oregano, garlic, celery, and jalapeno (if using) and keep processing until you have a fine vegetable mush.
- Add your olive oil to a large pan with a lid and heat over medium. Tip in your bacon and veggie mush and cook, stirring soft, about 10 minutes. Give it a stir every couple minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon as you stir it in with the veggie mixture.
- Finally, stir in the tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down as low as it will go, and let it slowly simmer for 45 minutes.
- When your sloppy joe filling is ready, take it off the heat and give everything a quick stir. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Split the hamburger buns and spoon plenty of your meat mixture onto each one. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and a little extra hot sauce. Put the lid on, and dig in.
Notes
If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
Keywords: Beef, Tomato
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