Recipe: Very Veggie Sloppy Joes

A delicious, filling, easy-to-make go-to dinner that will please everyone in your family, these Very Veggie Sloppy Joes are a one pot meal that screams old school comfort food.

Growing up, Sloppy Joes were a semi-frequent meal to hit our dinner table. And for good reason. It’s quick, healthy, and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Once I had my own family, I started making Sloppy Joes as well, because as long as you have ground beef on hand, you can have this on the table, with a few other pantry staples, in under thirty minutes.

Take that, Rachael Ray.

A little of this, a little of that, I never really measure, I just make them and adjust it along the way.

As cooks are wont to do.

But lately, or at least the past dozen or so times I have made Sloppy Joes, I’ve been adding some vegetables to it. Because although I don’t subscribe to the hide-the-vegetables-and-deceive-your-kids program, if I can tuck them in here and there without altering the taste, then I will.

But make no mistake. The kids knew the vegetables were in there. And Madeline did her very best to carefully pick out as many bits of bell pepper as she could, until she realized she was fighting a losing battle.

So. #winning

And to think she didn’t even notice all the mushrooms she ate.

Besides the yellow and red bell peppers, the mushrooms, and the tomato sauce, I also used 93% lean ground beef, so it doesn’t get much healthier than this. Beef, even that lean, is an inexpensive way to feed a family, which means more money for peppers and mushrooms like these, right from the farmer’s market. When the meat is on sale, I stock up and freeze a bunch. Just remove the butcher/grocery store wrapping and put the beef in a freezer-safe bag. Make sure to squeeze out all the air, close it up, and pop it in the freezer. It will keep safely for 6-12 months uncooked, and 2-3 months cooked.

If you’re looking for more easy and delicious beef recipes, be sure to visit Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner, and their Pinterest page (and they also have good money saving tips here). Now, for serving these Sloppy Joes, anything goes. I usually either toast a slice of bread and spoon the Sloppy Joes over the bread or I put it inside a toasted roll. I like them topped with melted cheese, but I skipped that this round because 1) I’m trying to be virtuous and 2) the kids prefer it without. Mix and match and serve how you like it best.

Hungry for more Sloppy Joes recipes?
This recipe is full of mushrooms, and the kids inhaled it. Delicious stuff from Cooking Light.

Psst … my site was having caching problems yesterday, so in case you missed yesterday’s post, you’ll find some delicious little meatballs right here.

Very Veggie Sloppy Joes
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

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