Sloppy Joes for 4 or 24

Sloppy Joes make a warm and filling meal for a chilly weeknight at home, or to feed a crowd at a large gathering!

When making this for my own family, I cook the meat mixture right before serving it for dinner. But when preparing it for a larger gathering, I cook and freeze the mixture days in advance. On the day of the gathering, it’s ready to be thawed and warmed up in a crock pot on low.

I adapted this recipe from one by Rachel Ray, leaving out the bell pepper for those in my family who consider them an abomination, and making a few other minor adjustments. What I post here reflects my changes.

Sloppy Joes for 4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 1/4 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. steak seasoning blend

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

4 buns or crusty rolls

Directions:

Heat a large skillet on medium high-heat. Add the onion and the ground beef to the skillet. Break up the beef and give it a sprinkle of salt. Combine the brown sugar and steak and stir it into the meat. When the meat is browned, drain off the grease. Add the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, lower to medium-low, and cook for just another minute until the onion is finished cooking. Add the tomato sauce and the paste to the pan; stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for five more minutes. Serve warm on soft or toasted buns. If desired, top with sliced tomato and pickles.

Sloppy Joes for 24

For a larger crowd, I prepare a doubled recipe three times. So, I’m really making six recipes of this mixture, but in only three batches. I cook each batch in a large pot rather than a skillet like with the single recipe. I start the first batch with the following ingredients and repeat two more times for a total of 24 servings. Adjust your number of batches to your number of guests.

1 Tbsp. olive oil (that stays the same)

salt

1 whole medium onion, chopped

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. steak seasoning blend

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 cups tomato sauce

4 Tbsp. tomato paste

24 buns or crusty rolls

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So, what can one do with leftover meat mixture besides enjoying more Sloppy Joe sandwiches the next day? Sloppy Joe Pizza, of course!!

Simply spread the leftover meat mixture on a pizza crust, top with shredded cheddar cheese and dried Italian herbs, and pop it into the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp. Enjoy!

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I’d like to give a big thank you to those who have been an encouragement to me the last couple of days with the starting of my new blog! It feels very awkward to put myself “out there”. Your kind words have meant so much, and I truly hope you find something here that speaks to your heart and home.