Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ahh, sloppy joes or “manwich” as we used to say growing up, are one of my favorite comfort foods! People either love or hate them, thankfully, I love them. It’s one of those meals that brings me back to childhood. We had them as regularly as spaghetti and it’s one of the few things I need a slice of American “cheese” for! One night, while having the what’s for dinner conversation, I realized we had no manwich for sloppy joes. Whaaattt??? Thankfully, a quick internet search and some intuition, provided me with the basic ingredients that I made my own. Mine are with turkey because I don’t eat beef, but you are welcome to switch out with what you like. An easy weeknight meal with little effort!

Here’s the recipe:

1 lb of ground turkey breast

1 red bell pepper, diced ( I love red bell pepper! It is supreme…)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. water ( sometimes I add a little more if it doesn’t appear saucy enough)

1 1/2 c. ketchup, sometimes more-again, it must be saucy ( I am the substitution queen, so I have used tomato sauce before, but I don’t recommend it..just not the same)

1-2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2-1 tsp chile powder (depending on how much heat you like!)

1 tbsp brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Method:

1. Saute turkey in olive oil until no longer pink, usually 10 minutes or so and set aside.
2. Using the same pan, add additional olive oil, sauté bell pepper (around 3-4 minutes), add garlic (another minute)
3. Deglaze pan with water and add back the ground turkey. Add ketchup, worstershire, mustard powder, chile powder, brown sugar.
4. Simmer until the flavors have had time to mingle, like 10 minutes or so. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Best enjoyed on regular slice bread with a piece of Kraft singles cheese! Lol

Susan