Healthy Sloppy Joes?

Well, to be honest I have no idea how healthy this sloppy joe recipe is but I made it and I like to assume it is better for me than canned sloppy joe mix...

As far as I can tell the only "bad" thing in here is butter, beef and ketchup.. the rest is seasonings and veggies :)

So, the recipe comes from Pioneer Woman I heart her and her recipes - even if there is butter in just about every one of them :)

So, here is the recipe and below is my picture walk through just so you can add some visuals :)

Sloppy Joe

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-½ pounds Ground Beef
• ½ whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-½ cup Ketchup
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• Worcestershire Sauce To Taste
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
• Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
• Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Kaiser Rolls
• Butter

Preparation Instructions

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Add yourself some butter to the awesome pan your future mother in law gave you last time you went to visit ;) 

Throw some meat in and brown it :) 

We got onion, bell pepper, garlic and I added some mushrooms.. I definitely recommend it but don't go too overboard because I did a bit (next time I'll cut the amount in half) because the flavor was strong. 

Go ahead and throw it in while you get all your seasonings ready. 

Add in some ketchup. 

Then the seasonings - chili powder and crushed red pepper made this Joe! 

Tomato paste too - I added more than was called for because I like the tomato-ish flavor :) 

Toast your buns and enjoy :) 

Now, I know the chips were much for me trying to be healthier but I'm not one of those dieters that completely says no to certain foods - I fully believe if you cut yourself off of the bad stuff you'll regress and indulge waaayyy too much when it finally happens - and it will happen!

Try them - they were awesome, I loved the subtle burn that the chili powder and pepper gave it :)