MARIE STUMPHAUZER, FNTP

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SLOPPY JOES

Marie Stumphauzer, FNTP

Who doesn’t love a good sloppy joe? Unfortunately, some of the pre-made mixes have ingredients that don’t agree with everyone. Good news is, they couldn’t be simpler to throw together and all with items you likely have on hand. This crowd pleaser doubles, triples, even quadruples easily so everyone will have a chance to enjoy a generous portion regardless of dietary restrictions.

Servings: 6 - 8 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Skill level: Easy

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds GROUND BEEF or VENISON (or a combination)

  • SALT

  • PEPPER

  • GARLIC POWDER

  • ONION POWDER

  • 1 medium ONION, chopped

  • 1 chopped bell PEPPER – or equivalent of favorite pepper, optional

  • 1-2 cloves GARLIC, minced  >or< 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER

  • 2 teaspoons prepared YELLOW MUSTARD

  • 1 ½ cups KETCHUP (may need a little more to make it the consistency that you want)

  • up to 6 oz. TOMATO PASTE, optional

  • 2-3 tablespoons BROWN SUGAR or COCONUT SUGAR

  • 3-4 tablespoons SWEET PICKLE RELISH or chopped PICKLES of flavor choice, optional

DIRECTIONS

  1. Season meat according to taste with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder.

  2. Brown in a large skillet over med-high heat.

  3. Add onions, pepper, and additional, garlic-if using.

  4. Stir in remaining ingredients and add additional seasonings, if desired.

  5. Simmer on low on the stove, keep warm in the oven or in a crockpot until ready to serve.

  6. Refrigerate any leftovers.

NOTES/VARIATIONS

  • Tomato paste will make the sauce of the sloppy joes a bit thicker depending on if you use it and how much. I often make this recipe without the tomato paste but sometimes, I add it just because. When I do, I will adjust down my ketchup a little and/or add a bit of pickle juice so that the sauce is just the right consistency. If you’re not using pickles or don’t have any extra juice (usually the case with relishes), water, beer, or wine works great in a pinch. You don’t need a lot.

  • It’s hard to find good pickle relish that doesn’t have junk in it. Even the organic varieties have managed to adulterate a perfectly simple recipe and I know for a fact that these additional ingredients aren’t necessary for it to be shelf stable as these same products didn’t always have them and, when canning my own, I do not need it. If I don’t have my own canned pickles/relish, then I will search the refrigerated section for pickles. Typically, they do not have all the junk (although sadly, they are usually in plastic containers). Either way, it’s rare to find cold sweet pickles so, if I use the dilled or kosher variety, I might add a pinch more sugar to keep the recipe from getting too tart. That being said, there are some pretty sassy flavors out there and there’s no reason why you can’t add a bit of zing or personality to your SJ’s by changing up the pickle flavor to your liking or include some pickled jalapeño’s just to keep everyone on their toes.

  • Try serving on homemade sourdough buns. If you don’t want to use a bread product (gluten free or regular), this is also amazing on a baked sweet potato or over oven fries!

  • Top with a bit of cheese, if desired. Can’t “do” cheese? While the sandwich is perfectly tasty without it, Violife brand of vegan cheeze is a surprisingly good substitute. It even melts a bit for that gooey texture. Some folks who can’t tolerate regular dairy do very well with goat’s milk or raw dairy cheeses. Most grocery stores carry at least a few options. If none of those work for you, and you still want that cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is just that with the added bonus of naturally occurring B vitamins.

  • Further trim the time it takes to make this by purchasing already diced onions and peppers from the produce section of your local grocery store.

  • This recipe is highly adaptable:

    • Use your favorite pepper or leave them out altogether.

    • Prefer red onion to yellow? Go for it!

    • Have some shredded carrots on hand? Toss them in - BTDT and it’s delicious.

    • Want a little more twang? Use dill pickle relish instead of sweet.

    • Substitute half of the ketchup with your favorite barbecue sauce; reduce or omit the brown sugar. 

    • Feeling sneaky? Work in some leftover corn, shredded zucchini, or properly prepared mushrooms. This will bulk up the volume and boost nutrition. You may need to adjust seasonings and ketchup to get that ‘just-right’ ratio.

  • Freeze extras in regular muffin tins for convenient single serving portions. Toss in a lunch bag and it will be thawed in time to warm up for lunch, no ice-pack necessary.

  • Carrots (cooked or raw) make a great side as does coleslaw made with Bacon Fat Dressing, fresh fruit, chips cooked in coconut or olive oil, or Cascadian Farm’s Spud Puppies.

  • As articulated in the What’s for Dinner article, always aim for the highest quality ingredients.

CREDITS/REFERENCES
Thumbnail photo credit: Original, untouched photo can be found here: Sloppy Joes - Sándwich típico estadounidense de carne picada | In Jeans Magazine www.in-jeans.com 2.jpeg

I came up with this recipe up but it’s certainly not an original concept!