30 Day Gourmet » Sloppy Joe Sandwich Filling

Note from Carol: This is my favorite recipe for Sloppy Joes! It is always a hit at potlucks, graduation parties, etc. It can also be frozen in individual servings to send for lunches. You can freeze the meat in the muffin tin without the paper liners. To remove them from the tin, fill your sink with enough hot water to reach the lip of the pan. Place the muffin pan in the hot water for about 30 seconds. This is just enough time to just loosen them up from the sides of the pan and you can just pop them out with a fork. Place them in a freezer bag and you have single servings!

Recipes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Servings	6	12	18	24	30	36
Makes	3 C.	6 C.	9 C.	12 C.	15 C.	18 C.
Ingredients
Medium lean ground beef, turkey or pork	1 lb.	2 lbs.	3 lbs.	4 lbs.	5 lbs.	6 lbs.
Finely minced onion	2 T.	1/4 C.	1/4 C. + 2 T.	1/2 C.	1/2 C. + 2 T.	3/4 C.
Finely minced bell pepper (optional)	2 T.	1/4 C.	1/4 C. + 2 T.	1/2 C.	1/2 C. + 2 T.	3/4 C.
Garlic powder	1/2 t.	1 t.	1-1/2 t.	2 t.	2-1/2 t.	1 T.
Prepared yellow mustard	1 t.	2 t.	1 T.	1 T. + 1 t.	1 T. + 2 t.	2 T.
Tomato ketchup	3/4 C.	1-1/2 C.	2-1/4 C.	3 C.	3-3/4 C.	4-1/2 C.
Worcestershire sauce	1 t.	2 t.	1 T.	1 T. + 1 t.	1 T. + 2 t.	2 T.
Brown sugar	1 T.	2 T.	3 T.	1/4 C.	1/4 C. + 1 T.	1/4 C. + 2 T.
Salt	1/2 t.	1 t.	1-1/2 t.	2 t.	2-1/2 t.	1 T.
Ground black pepper	1/4 t.	1/2 t.	3/4 t.	1 t.	1-1/4 t.	1-1/2 t.
Salsa, any level of heat (optional)	1/4 C.	1/2 C.	3/4 C.	1 C.	1-1/4 C.	1-1/2 C.
On Hand
Hamburger buns	6	12	18	24	30	36

Assembly Directions:
Brown ground beef, onion, and bell pepper together over medium heat. Cook thoroughly until no pink color remains in the meat. Drain and discard the pan liquids. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Cool. Package the Sloppy Joe Sandwich Filling in family size quantities, or package into individual servings.

Thawing and Serving Directions:
Thaw in the microwave or in the refrigerator. Reheat over very low heat on the stove or microwave on medium high until heated through. Stir the mixture several times during thawing and reheating. Heap the sandwich filling onto opened sandwich buns and enjoy.

Note from Tara:
It seems I’ve been making this recipe all of my life. Leaving out the peppers and salsa will bring the spice level down to kid-compatible levels.

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 344 Calories; 15g Fat (40.1% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 890mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1-1/2 Grain (Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.