Sloppy Joes

This is Connor's favorite dinner.  Hands down.  If I ask what we should make for dinner - I can bet that 8 out of 10 times... this is what he'll say.

When he was small he called them Sloppy Jones.  It was so cute that we didn't correct him and adopted that name for them in our house for several years.  I'm not sure when they changed back to being called sloppy joes... but somewhere along the line they did.

Connor isn't a big tomato fan - so this recipe doesn't use a can of tomato sauce and instead uses just a some ketchup.  What I really like about throwing this together versus a sloppy joe can of the sauce is that it's less sweet and feels overall a little healthier.  There's less sodium unless you want to add more and worcestershire is one of those unsung kitchen heros that packs a lot of flavor with little sodium impact.

Let's Get Crafty!

Preheat the oven to low broil if you would like to toast the buns

I love to toast ours because it always feels like it gives the sandwich a little something special.  We just butter the buns and add some garlic powder to each side and cook them on low broil until nicely toasted.  When I start the preheat as I'm getting started with the meat - we usually end up being done pretty close to the same time.  

Brown until cooked through:

1 lb hamburger

1 small onion, diced

Add to the pot and stir in:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup water (if you do the tomato sauce instead of the ketchup then you might not need this)

Brown sugar - just a touch - maybe 1 tablespoon (I use more like a teaspoon.  You could start with that and add more to your taste to see what's just right for your family.)

I like to mix everything together except the brown sugar and give it a taste before adding it in.  This always makes me think of the Sandwich King.  He says that if you aren't tasting then you aren't cooking.  The idea is that you should be adapting as the recipe moves along and not just one time right before serving.  

Simmer for 5-10 minutes 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day.