Veggie Loaded Sloppy Joes

As I mentioned earlier this week, we are preparing to sell our house.  Thus, the great freezer clean out of 2018 continues.

Several months ago I found bags of frozen, chopped bell peppers at Aldi for $1.00 a bag.  So, I obviously bought 4 bags.  I make a ton of Mexican food, particularly fajitas, so I thought I had a super score.  Turned out… I was mistaken.  Unfortunately, the frozen peppers were way to mushy in Fajitas.  They tasted fine, but the texture was off.  These bags of peppers have been waiting for inspiration in the freezer until now.  I actually had a bit of a “duh” moment as I was gazing into the freezer and saw these frozen peppers.  I am always looking for ways to get more veggies into recipes, and I tend add way more veggies to my homemade Sloppy Joes than any recipe calls for.  This little bag just saved me a whole lot of chopping.

Frozen vegetables are a great option in your diet – typically very affordable and always very healthy (as long as they are veggies without added sodium or in a sauce).  Frozen veggies are picked at the height of their freshness and flash frozen, preserving their nutrients until you decide to add them to your meals.  Frozen veggies can even have higher nutrient content than fresh because they are not transported and stored, which can cause nutrient loss.

I began by sauteeing my bag-o-peppers (about 2 cups) and a small, diced onion in a little olive oil.  You could use fresh veggies, too.  I have used fresh bell peppers and celery.  Whatever you have in your fridge/freezer.  Once soft, I added 1 pound ground beef (I used 95/5 – a lean beef) but you could use any ground beef, turkey or chicken you prefer (or that you have hiding in your freezer!) and stir to crumble until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Next I added 1 cup of ketsup, about 2 tablespoons of spicy brown mustard (or whatever mustard you have on hand), 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce and 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar.

Stir to combine and then add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2.5 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw or Brown Sugar and a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.

I am going to out myself here really quickly – never, ever substitute chipotle powder for chili powder.  I did once in this recipe 1:1 and we about burned our mouths off.  My sweet husband ate his whole Sloppy Joe as to not hurt my feelings.  He did hurt his mouth, though.

Allow your Sloppy Joes to simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.  While the mixture simmers, toast your buns!  I prefer to toast my Sloppy Joe buns because they hold up a little better and lose less of the sloppy yumminess.

I had a big bag of sweet potato fries in the freezer (obviously) that I baked while I was preparing the Sloppy Joes, which made a great side and added another serving of veggies to our meal.  Our go-to side while growing up, though, was baked beans.  Also a solid choice.

I love this recipe because it is SO simple and fast.  It is loaded with vegetables, but you barely notice they are there.  Oh, and it is tasty.  I highly recommend trying this instead of the canned Sloppy Joe Mix – it tastes better and you know it doesn’t have any preservatives or a ton of sodium in it.

Slowly, but surely I am working through our darned freezer.  I am glad we have a couple months to get through all I have stocked up.