Scratch Sloppy Joe’s

Thanks to a terrific price on ground beef on Friday’s in February 2015, I am cooking up a variation on a classic recipe. Sloppy Joe’s are an all-American favorite! I literally added a little twist to this classic, pretzel bread! We have delicious pretzel buns in our bakery and while I usually serve them with brats and sauerkraut, they complement the sweetness of my Scratch Sloppy Joe quite well. Add a little cheese and I think you’ll agree this combo is a winner!

My kids were not super hip on the peppers and onions so maybe I will leave them out next time. However, the adults  at the table loved the crunch the veggies provided. And, while I am sharing adult prospective, another tasty variation worth trying is a swap of regular ketchup for Stonewall Kitchen’s Farmhouse Ketchup. Stonewall Kitchen’s Country Ketchup has a little kick and has been a best seller for us for several years in our Country Store in Belleville.

To make dinner easier on school nights, I make the Sloppy Joe seasoning in a larger batch and store it in an air tight jar in the pantry ( I tape my Sloppy Joe Recipe to the jar so I can easily find it). Even without preparing the seasoning in advance, I am pleased to share that I threw this dinner together in 30 minutes from start to finish. That’s pretty good for a school night, don’t you think?

Eat well this winter, Angie

P.S. If you haven’t tried Eckert’s Ground Beef, you really should! It is incredibly lean and fresh. I rarely drain off more than a few tablespoons of fat after browning.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Eckert’s ground beef
• ½ medium onion, chopped fine (optional)
• ½ medium green pepper, chopped fine (optional)
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 Eckert’s pretzel buns
• 4 slices of cheddar cheese

  Sloppy Joe Seasoning:

• Make 1 batch (as listed below) or quadruple seasoning ingredients and store in air tight container at room temperature. If quadrupling, use 1 tablespoon of seasoning per 1 lb of ground beef. (Note: 3 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. dry mustard powder (I used Coleman’s)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink. Drain ground beef and return to skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and sloppy joe seasoning. Whisk ingredients together before pouring over ground beef and vegetables. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer beef mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Top pretzel bun with sloppy joe mixture and a slice of cheddar. Makes 4 large servings.