SLOPPY JOES

Sloppy Joe Sandwich with NSA Potato Chips

For some reason I got a hankering for an old timey favorite – Sloppy Joes. It had been years since I last made them. I didn’t even remember what recipe, if any, I used to follow. But I did remember that a pal from the GardenWeb Cooking Forum frequently posted a recipe she used from the Kansas State University Extension Service. I found it and happily realized I had everything I needed to make up a batch.

Once the ground beef was thawed, it came together easily and quickly. Paired with some homemade low sodium sandwich buns, it was a tasty meal, suitable for lunch, dinner, and family get togethers. I used all loso/NSA products, yet it was satisfyingly flavorful. Nothing bland or insipid about it at all. And the leftovers tasted just as good reheated the next day.

The sloppy joe mixture could be served on low sodium/NSA bread or biscuits instead of buns. Or used as a wrap filling for loso lavash. It'd be great with lightly steamed NSA corn tortillas or crisp taco shells. Not to mention lettuce wraps. It could also be a chunky spread/dip for loso crackers or tortilla chips. And I ate it once as a salad topping, sort of like a taco salad.

It’s one of those recipes that’s also very adaptable to what you have on hand. For example, I rarely keep fresh green peppers around, but I always have a package of the 3-pepper medley in my freezer. When I don’t have fresh onions, I’ll use dried onions if the recipe includes simmering in liquid. I also keep celery seed and dried celery flakes on hand for those times when I don’t have fresh celery in the crisper. Although tomato sauce probably works best, crushed tomatoes or diced/whole tomatoes run through the blender a bit would work just as well.

This was another one of those, “Why haven’t I made this more often?” moments. Needless to say, I’ll be including this recipe in our meal rotation, especially during the hot days of summer when slaving over a hot stove is definitely not appealing.

Sloppy Joe with NSA Potato Chips & NSA Dill Pickle

Here’s the recipe:

Sloppy Joes

Grainlady from GardenWeb's Cooking Forum
(Printable Recipe)

½ C chopped onion

¼ C chopped green bell pepper (I used frozen pepper strips snipped into small pieces with a kitchen scissors)

¼ C chopped celery

1 LB ground beef

1 8-oz can tomato sauce (I used NSA)

¼ C catsup (I used NSA Heinz)

1 T vinegar (I used apple cider)

1 T sugar

(I also added 1 clove of crushed garlic; a dash of garlic powder would work fine too)

In a skillet, brown ground beef, onion, green pepper, and celery. Break the meat into small pieces. Brown until meat is cooked through and vegetables are slightly tender. Drain any fat or liquid from the meat mixture. Add the tomato sauce, catsup, vinegar, and sugar. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes over LOW heat. (Do not use high heat or the natural sugars in the tomato products may burn.) Add a little water if the meat mixture seems too thick. To serve, spoon the meat mixture into warm hamburger buns.