Clean Eating: Homemade Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes used to be one of my go-to meals for when I was working full-time. You can’t get much easier than sautéing some beef, opening a can of sauce, mixing it together, and slapping it on a bun! haha

Over the last year or so I stopped buying it pre-made (and thus, stopped making it at all) because of all the high-fructose corn syrup in it. (As a side note, I have to say that I haven’t checked the ingredients in a while, so they may have replaced HFCS with something else.) Regardless, this is a FABULOUS and easy Rachel Ray recipe that uses real ingredients and is sure to please your whole family! I tweaked it just a little, but it got great reviews from everyone I served it to. Don’t be scared by the seemingly long list of ingredients! These are all basic pantry staples (except for maybe the red pepper).

Sloppy Maple-BBQ Turkey Joes
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray – March 2011

Sauce ingredients:
1 C tomato sauce
1/4 C real maple syrup
3 T soy sauce
2 T cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 rounded T dijon mustard

1 T EVOO
1 1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
1 T Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
{obviously a lot of you might not have this;
it’s simply garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper}
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Burger rolls, shredded cheddar cheese, other toppings if desired

Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO over med-high heat. Add the meat and season with spice(s). Cook until browned, and drain. Return to pan and then stir in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until the veggies are tender (5-6 minutes). Pour tomato sauce mixture over meat. Simmer over med-low heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Serve the meat on rolls and top with cheese and other toppings.

Enjoy! This is REALLY tasty. I served mine with oven fries (also Rachael Ray’s recipe) and olives – just because I felt like something super-salty would be a good contrast to the sweetness of the sloppy joes. It was sooooo good. :)

And keeping it real: this is what the kitchen counter looks like when I’m trying a new recipe and trying to feed my toddler dinner and trying to make a sauce and trying to chop the veggies before the meat burns. So professional, right?! haha (This is why I’m telling you to mix the sauce first!)

As a side note, I reallllly like Rachael Ray and her recipes, but I have NEVER – not ONCE - actually cooked a 30-minute meal in 30 minutes from start to finish. Anyone else relate?!

Oh, and as another aside, and just because I’m curious: when we lived in PA everyone there either called Sloppy Joes “barbeque” or “wimpies” (that word really creeps me out, btw). Nobody seemed to call them “Sloppy Joes” but me. What do YOU call them?

Linked to these food parties:

Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green