Easy Weeknight Meal-BBQ Sloppy Joes!

Hi gals and guys!  I am so happy its Thursday!  One step closer to the weekend.  We have my whole family coming to Reno this weekend to help Chris and I celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary.  I can’t believe I got married 10 years ago.  It seems like it was just a couple of years ago.  I also can’t believe how tiny I was when I got married……and I lived on fast food and got zero exercise back then.  Getting older sucks.  Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise;)  Anyhoo, it should be a great weekend…..

We have been super busy around here lately.  With school, cheerleading, work etc.  I kind of struggle to get dinner on the table some nights.  Yes, I realize that is a common complaint;)  And take-out is hard around here.  We live about 15 minutes from civilization, so going back out for food at night is not the best option.  Lately, I have been working on easy weeknight recipes that will make my whole family happy.  Recipes that I can make before Addy has cheer practice, and will keep on the stove until Chris comes home…….My first winner is BBQ Sloppy Joes.  I know sloppy joes can be kind of boring, but I jazz them up with Gourmet Rooster BBQ sauce and smoked cheddar cheese.  This is so easy to make, I hesitate to even call it a "recipe", but I will anyway.  I don't feel like making up a new word.

BTW-I told Addy these were called “Sloppy Billy Joe Bobs”.  I felt that incorporated the BBQ sauce.

For these BBQ Sloppy Joes, I use about 1 1/3 pounds ground beef.  You could totally use ground turkey or ground chicken.  You could also use sliced chicken if you are so inclined.  I also use Whiskey Apple BBQ Sauce, garlic (minced), chopped red bell pepper, chopped onion, and chopped fresh tomato in the sauce.  To make these super quick, buy your onions, peppers and tomatoes already chopped.  I know my local grocery stores have these chopped and packaged by the salads.  I chopped my own in the morning and put them in plastic baggies.  I also have to give a shout-out to my girl Janna, who gave me fresh tomatoes straight from the vine in her backyard;)

I browned my ground beef with a smidge of salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Ground beef browns up in less than 5 minutes.  Easy, easy.

Once the meat was browned, I took it out of the pan, but I left the drippings in.

Also, if you are using ground chicken or turkey….once you place the meat in the pan, don’t touch it for a couple of minutes.  It needs the time to caramelize.  Turkey and chicken don’t have much fat so they need some help browning.

Now the onion, pepper and garlic join the party.  I sauté the veggies for about 4 or 5 minutes, just until they are softened a bit.  I don’t brown the veggies, but if you prefer the taste of browned veggies…..jack up the heat and keep stirring.

Next, I add the meat back to the pan.  I also add the fresh tomatoes and sauce.  Then, I add about 1/3 cup water to the jar of sauce, put a lid on it, and shake it.  I dump that water into the pot, and the water will take all the sauce that was stuck on the sides with it.  Once you have mixed, the mixture just needs to simmer for another 5 minutes, until it is thick.

While the mix simmers, I browned up some hamburger buns, and topped the bottom bun with a yummy smoked cheddar.  A smoked, sharp cheddar really works best with this.  It has a strong flavor that stands up to the sloppy joe mix.  A regular cheddar would be too bland.

Simmering……

This is such a delicious, easy and quick weeknight meal.  The BBQ sauce gives it a better flavor than regular sloppy joe sauce, which is essentially glorified tomato sauce.  Plus, this version is chalk full of veggies!

Yum!  I used a milder, sweet BBQ sauce so that my whole family would like it.  If I was making this for just Chris and me, I would probably use a bolder sauce.  Don’t you think you could bust this out when you got home from work?  You might even have most of the components already in your fridge/freezer/pantry!  Of course, you must use Gourmet Rooster sauce;)  Remember to check my website to find out where to buy it….and you can buy it straight from me too!

I will see you next week with another pumpkin recipe!

BBQ Sloppy Joes

1 1/3 pounds ground beef

1 jar Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple BBQ Sauce

1 cup bell pepper, chopped

1 cup, or ½ a medium sized onion, chopped

1 cup tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup water

Hamburger buns

Smoked cheddar cheese

In a large sauté pan, brown ground beef over medium high heat.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Remove meat from pan and set aside.

In same pan, sauté garlic, onion, and pepper until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add meat and tomatoes to pan.  Add BBQ sauce and water.  Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve on toasted buns, topped with smoked cheddar.