When I think of sloppy joes my mind immediately goes to the crazy lunch lady in Billy Madison scaring the kids. But who doesn’t love a good sloppy joe?! Recently my mom, sister and I were reminiscing on the old fashioned sandwich and I couldn’t get them out of my head. My mom then happened to find a sloppy joe seasoning packet with no sugar or artificial flavoring at Whole Foods. It was burning a whole in my pantry so I grabbed some ground beef and I set out to make a sloppy joe sandwich with all natural ingredients and no added sugar. I was honestly expecting a half decent sandwich but I was legitimately surprised at how perfect this sandwich was (and so was my husband and sister). Hearty saucy and tender beef dripping over a soft sesame bun…..mmm mmm mm.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 onion
• 1 packet of Little’s Cuisine Sloppy Joe Seasoning Mix   (If you can’t find this use ground mustard, salt & pepper, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder and a dash of cayenne pepper)
• 8-10 oz can of tomatoes, pureed
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• Olive oil for sautéing
• White balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Sauté the onion and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. I chose to add the carrot because it’s a natural sweetener to the sauce.

Add your meat to the pan and brown while breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Add your seasoning packet (I only used 3/4 of it)

Then add your tomato puree and ketchup. Combine well and let cook for 20 or so minutes on a slow simmer.

Add a dash or two of white balsamic vinegar for added sweetness. I also put a ton of fresh cracked black pepper for some subtle heat. And that’s it – pretty easy.

You definitely need a soft sesame bun to enjoy this sloppy sandwich. If you need to loosen the sauce at all just add a touch of water. I had to when I warmed it up the next day! Nosh n mangia!