Lunch Lady Sloppy Joes

I LOVE sloppy joes...but then I married a sloppy joe hater. Well...technically Nick doesn't hate sloppy joes. His mom used to make them, but she called them "hamburger doodles" and he gobbled them up. She's really clever that way! Of course, now that he's older it's hard to nickname foods and get him to eat them.

I saw the cheese stick and the hot dog bun and YES! Hot dog buns just taste better and having a cheese stick surprise that gets all melty and gooey under the meat portion of the meal - *sigh* The kids really loved that it was served up in a hot dog bun and had a cheese stick too! I think that I have convinced Nick to give this one a shot because the sloppy joe part isn't actually too tomato-y or mustard-y. The ancho chili powder gives it a good smokey flavor, as does the Worcestershire. It's kind of an adult version but with a kid-like twist too it. Do you ever really get too old for cheese sticks?

An added note, anyone else singing "Lunch Lady Lounge"?

(Print)
What you need:

• EVOO
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce, plus a pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
• 1 to 2 tsp. yellow mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Mozzarella cheese sticks
• Hot dog buns
• Green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, saute onion in EVOO until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Add ground beef. Cook and crumble until browned.
3. Add tomato sauce, water, chili powder, and mustard to skillet.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce (a teaspoon or two), salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Place a cheese stick in each hot dog bun and then ladle sloppy joe mixture over the top. Top with green onions

Recipe from Simply Scratch

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