Julie’s Sloppy Joe

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe. Sorry you guys.
A little fact about me, I’m a real television shows addict. Name one, I’ve probably seen it. One thing that keeps popping up in some shows is a Sloppy Joe. A hamburger bun with browned ground beef, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, cooked in sweet sour tomato sauce. It’s a messy but delicious American dish. My version is a bit healthier because I used fresh tomato sauce and I added some veggies.
For al you students out there; I made this dish with only one deep pan, so no more excuses ok?!

So what do you need for 4 portions or 3 really big ones :

• 4 pre-baked ciabattas for in the oven
•  a small salad, mix up what ever you like
• one green bell pepper
• one big onion
• two medium sized carrots
• 500 grams of ground beef
• garlic
• one small branch of thyme
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• two cups tomato sauce (fresh or from a can)
• one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• one tablespoon of  red wine vinegar
• chili powder
• cayenne powder

First you start by cooking the vegetables in a pan with some oil. Make sure your pan is really hot. Remove the vegetables from the pan as soon as they are soft enough.
Then you brown your 500 grams of ground beef in the same pan. You can add some extra oil if you think your pan isn’t greasy enough. Don’t forget to add some salt & black pepper!
When everything is nice and brown, add your vegetables to the browned beef and mix it all up. Now you can add two cups of tomato sauce, one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon of red wine vinegar and some ketchup.  Spice it all up with some chili & cayenne powder. Add one branch of thyme and leave it on a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to check it from time to time.

I replaced the hamburger bun with a soft pre-baked ciabatta that I heated up in my toaster. Just cut the ciabatta in two and put it in your toaster until it is golden brown.

Enjoy your quick & delicious meal. If there are any questions don’t hesitate to ask them!

Julie