The Best Sloppy Joes

We used to eat Sloppy Joe's all the time while growing up. It was seriously one of my favorite meals and my mom always served it with Velveeta Mac and Cheese. The two just seemed to go together perfectly. Now I have nothing against Manwich Sloppy Joe Mix, I don't hate it all but it is pretty processed.  I got to thinking maybe I could make a healthier version. 

My sister recommended this recipe and it blew my mind.  So much better than the canned kind.  It tasted so fresh and full of flavor.  I won't ever go back to the Manwich kind.  This honestly took no time to toss together and you could even save time by dicing the vegetables earlier in the day.  And in case you are wondering yep I served ours with Velveeta Mac and Cheese just like Mom did because somethings are meant to be together.  This is a meal that will definitely be on regular rotation in the Mason Household!

**If you don't like red meat you could easily sub ground turkey or ground chicken for this recipe**

:: S L O P P Y  J O E S ::

Recipe adapted from The Neely's 

Ingredients  

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (we used Stubb's Spicy BBQ Sauce)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (we used Texas Pete)
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 hamburger buns, split

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the ground beef to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked. I added a little salt and pepper at this point.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup and hot sauce into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.