Sloppy Joes
Here’s a meal that is not only great for dinner but also for lunch. This hits home for the whole family on a cold winter night or for any weekend sports night. Serve it up with fresh cut veggies and hummus for dipping. Choose a whole-wheat pita half to serve it with and top it off with a sprinkling of chopped lettuce and tomato.
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Half jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can (19 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
¼ cup large flaked oats
4 whole-wheat pita halves
2 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped
- In large deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef over medium high heat for about 8 minutes or until browned. Add onion, garlic, green and jalapeno peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, large flake oats, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally or until thickened.
- Scoop sloppy joe mixture into pita halves and top with lettuce and tomato.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Meat Option: You can use ground turkey or chicken instead of the beef in the sloppy joes.
Vegetarian Option: You can use ground meat substitute instead of the beef.
Chili Option: This sloppy joe mixture can be eaten like a chili. Simply reduce the cooking time to about 15 minutes for a chili consistency.