By Kelly Bogard
Sometimes life can be messy.
As I watched my dogs dig in the wet ground earlier this week, that’s exactly what crossed my mind—the mess that would follow. But I was okay with it, because we needed the rain.
And Texas farmers needed the rain. It delayed planting for some, but it also helps add optimism in what looks to be another difficult year for farmers.
As planting begins across the Lone Star State, they don’t see the mud as a mess. They see progress and the hope of a bountiful harvest.
To share in the excitement of another planting season, I thought we should all get messy this week.
For Sloppy Joes, you will need…
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
buns and cheese for serving
Sloppy Joes are as flavorful as they are messy. The robust flavors of the vegetables blend well with the fresh beef and only grow stronger as they cook when using this slow method.
Now sure, you can go to the store and buy some ground meat and a can of joe mix, but the flavors are so much more intense when you make it this way. Plus, you get to smell how good it’s going to be for a few hours, building the excitement.
Start by browning the ground meat with the salt and pepper. While the meat is cooking, go ahead and get your vegetables chopped up.
Drain the grease from the meat and then mix the vegetables in with the still-warm beef.
In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and paste with the ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon the meat mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the top.
Stir it all up until everything is coated in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for two hours.
These sloppy joes take about the same amount of time to put together as store-bought and you get to make it ahead so it’s ready whenever your crowd comes in from the field. Happy planting, and from all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
people
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- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 large onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.
- 1 can tomato paste 6 oz.
- 1/3 c. ketchup
- 1/3 c. brown sugar packed
- 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- buns and cheese for serving
Ingredients
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- Brown ground meat in a large skillet with salt and pepper.
- Chop the onion and bell pepper.
- Drain grease from meat.
- Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the meat and stir well.
- In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.
- Move the meat mixture to the slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce mixture over ground meat.
- Cover and cook on low for two hours.
- Serve on buns with cheese.
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