Homemade Sloppy Joes Recipe

This homemade Sloppy Joe recipe blends carrots, celery, onion and green pepper right into the sauce. Use ground beef, ground chicken or a combination of both, and make extra if you want an easy meal to freeze for later.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef, ground chicken or a combination of both
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• Hamburger buns, for serving

Directions

1. Add the onion, carrots, celery and green pepper to a blender or food processor.
2. Add the vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
3. Blend until the vegetables and sauce ingredients are finely pureed.
4. Add the ground meat to a large skillet and cook over medium heat, breaking it apart as it cooks.
5. Add the pureed vegetable mixture to the skillet and stir well.
6. Continue cooking and simmering for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is completely cooked and the sauce is heated through.
7. Serve the Sloppy Joe mixture warm on hamburger buns.

Kids Cooking Tip: Kids can wash the vegetables, measure the ketchup and seasonings and help add ingredients to the blender. An adult should supervise the blender and handle the hot skillet.

Sloppy Joes and Toes

Turn regular Sloppy Joes into a fun kid-friendly dinner by adding sliced hot dogs right to the saucy meat mixture. The hot dog pieces become the "toes" in this playful variation.

Directions

1. Prepare the Homemade Sloppy Joe filling according to the recipe above.
2. Cook the hot dogs and cut them into small bite-size pieces.
3. Stir the hot dog pieces directly into the warm Sloppy Joe mixture.
4. Continue heating until everything is hot.
5. Spoon the Sloppy Joes and Toes mixture onto hamburger buns and serve warm.

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Recipe, image and content from Kids-Cooking-Activities.com