Almost Meatless Sloppy Joes
I love this recipe and am so excited to share it with you today! As I’ve mentioned before on Lemon & Mocha, Matt and I try to eat vegetarian a couple nights a week for both cost and health reasons. However, I love the idea of almost meatless. In these almost meatless sloppy joes the ground beef isn’t the focus of the dish, but it provides a great richness and heartiness.
For those of you who read the title of this post and were instantly scared away by the mention of sloppy joes, don’t leave just yet! I think you know by now I only share recipes that are absolutely crave-worthy and these bad boys fit the bill.
I actually had never tried sloppy joes until I made this version from Cooking Light, but I am so glad I waited instead of having some dreadful version that everyone seems to remember from their school cafeteria. I’m not sure why they have such a bad rap, but let these almost meatless sliders change your mind.
Loaded spices and veggies these mini sandwiches have a complex taste that packs a punch. The mashed kidney beans mimic the heartiness of the ground beef and provide a smooth texture. I would happily eat these every night, and may have done just that for almost a week… 😉
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 ounces ground sirloin
- ½ cup grated carrot
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 15.5 ounce can low sodium kidney beans, rinsed & drained
- 6 mini brioche buns, or other sandwich rolls of your choosing
- Sliced red onion, for serving
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stockpot. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and beef and cook until the onion is softened and the meat is browned. Stir occasionally, making sure to crumble the beef.
- Add the grated carrot, chili powder, sugar, oregano and red pepper then continue to cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium then cook for 10 more minutes.
- Take 1 cup of the kidney beans and mash them in a shallow bowl with a potato masher or fork. Add both the mashed beans and the remaining whole beans to the pot then cook until cooked through, about 1-3 minutes.
- Serve on the buns topped with sliced red onion.
Recipe from the May 2010 issue of Cooking Light.