We all like to get messy with our hands. So I figured that I wanted to make something creative for lunch that would be fun and delicious to eat. Well, if you’re working in an office and sitting in front of the desk all day, try not to eat and work at the same time. I can guarantee you that this is going to be messy but absolutely……ENJOYABLE AND YUMMY!
At first, I created this sloppy joe thinking about using pasta as my base and of course……loading myself with lots of carbs to keep me full. However, I noticed that lunch gets really boring when it’s always pasta and the idea gets old after a week or so (or if you’re like me who can’t eat the same thing for more than 2 consecutive days). So I thought of replacing the pasta with a bun underneath all that juicy meat.
Of course, it turned out AMAZING!! It was more popular that I expected. My boyfriend completely loves it when I make Sloppy Joe’s with a bun on the bottom. He just scoops as much meat as he wants onto his bun and LOADS it with goodness!
So try it out yourself if you need some NEW AND FUN lunch ideas. I can absolutely guarantee that you and your family will LOVE THIS.
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES || COOKING TIME: 45 MINUTES
Ingredients:
1 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil
1 medium sized sweet onion (diced into small pieces)
2 – 3 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb of raw ground chicken (you can substitute with any type of meat)
1/2 tsp of chili flakes (you can adjust accordingly – I usually like mine with a small spicy kick)
1 – 1.5 cups of tomato sauce (I used Prego tomato sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
- In a non-stick pan, turn up the heat to medium and pour in the olive oil. Once the pan gets hot, add the onions in and sautee it until the onions turns transparent (approx. 5-8 minutes).
- Add the minced garlic into the pan and mix it together with the onions. Then, add a pinch of salt and pepper to enhance the flavour. (it should start to smell really good)
- Now add in the ground chicken and start mixing it with a wooden spatula or spoon and cook it for approximately 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Make sure you constantly mix the chicken and break up any lumps that forms. (ground chicken tends to stick together in a lump)
- Then, combine 1/2 tsp of chili flakes to the chicken and start mixing it together in the sauce pan.
- Now, pour in the tomato sauce (add 1 cup if you don’t want too much sauce or if you like more, add 1.5 cups instead) and combine well.
- Put the lid on the sauce pan and turn the heat down to medium-low and let it cook for 10-15 minutes to soak up all the flavour into the meat.
- When you open the lid, you should smell a strong aroma of mouth-watering meat sauce that’s ready for you to eat!
- NOW.. it’s READY to be SERVED!!
You can garnish the meat sauce with sprinkled cheese if you like having strands of melted hot cheese (all that goodness) in your sloppy Joe’s.
You can serve it over a slice of toast, toasted buns (my favourite), baguettes, crackers, potatoes and OF COURSE……NACHOS!! (absolutely delicious).
BON APPETIT!
I would love to know how your sloppy joe’s turned out or what delicious creations you tried while serving it to family and friends.
Please definitely share your ideas with me! I would love to hear them!