Sloppy Joes

I love Sloppy Joes, especially with Provolone Cheese. But I must admit with little ones, I don't always like the sloppy part that has to be cleaned up. That said, I am braving the mess and making them anyway for dinner. Since our night is going to be CRAZY I decided to mix them up now and crockpot them. I've always liked the recipe in my The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, but, as I am often prone to do, I modified it a bit. I like Green peppers in mine, and I didn't want to have all hamburger so I substituted a can of black beans for 3/4 lb of hamburger. This is a 3x recipe so that I can freeze some, or just have some for leftovers for the weekend. Since we don't have buns we are just going to eat it openfaced on bread, hopefully, reduce the mess. Here's the recipe, I hope you enjoy.

Sloppy Joes (printer friendly)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 med onions, minced
1 green pepper, minced or chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder*
1 1/2-2 lbs hamburger
3 tsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, pureed
1 can diced tomatoes with chipolte chilies, pureed*
1 1/2 C ketchup
1 can black beans, drained
water, if needed
Tabasco*
Bread or hamburger buns

1. Heat oil in a in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic & chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

2. In a lg crockpot add tomato puree, ketchup and black beans. Turn crockpot on high. Add meat mixture once the meat is cooked. Add tabasco, if desired. Turn down crockpot to low once the mixture is heated. Cook on low for 4 -5 hours. If mixture gets too thick add a little water, as needed. Spoon over bread or a hamburger bun.

*I didn't use tabasco since my kids aren't really into spicy, and I am using spicier tomatoes. If I was using regular tomatoes, I would add it. Also, if you don't have tomatoes with chipolte peppers, just use a second can of tomatoes and add an extra 1/2 tsp chili powder and tabasco.