Monday, January 18, 2016

Sweet and Sour Asian Style Sloppy Joe

Yum

Sweet and Sour Asian Sloppy Joe's are a quick, economical and delicious way to feed my family on those busy weeknights.   Sometimes, trying to feed a family of four on a budget is not always easy when I am pressed for time and everyone is hungry for dinner.  It's tempting to just throw up my hands and get take out, but that's not economical.   I like having lean ground meat in the house at all times so I can make a quick meal like spaghetti bolognese or these hearty sloppy joe's. 

I can have these sloppy joe's cooked in less than 20 minutes and we can have dinner on the table much faster than waiting for my husband to get back home with take out.  I made this budget friendly by stretching the one pound of lean beef by adding onions, bell peppers and white cabbage.   The cabbage really cooks down into the beef so my kids had no clue there was cabbage even in it.  The cabbage also gives a nice texture to the sloppy joe's. 

I flavored the sloppy joe's with my favorite Asian flavors that really gave it a punch.  These sloppy joes' saved me from two hungry kids and a grumpy husband.  After dinner, everyone was smiling again with full bellies.


Sweet and Sour Asian Style Sloppy Joe
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion finely diced
1 large bell pepper finely diced
1-2 cups of finely diced green cabbage
8 oz can tomato sauce
2-3 soy sauce Tbs (to taste)
4-5 Tbs sweet chili sauce (like mae ploy) 
1-2 Tbs sriracha sauce
1 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
salt and black pepper
red chili flakes
4oz water  

Directions:
Brown lean ground beef and then add onions.  Season with salt and black pepper.   Once beef is browned, add bell pepper and cabbage. Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Season with a little more salt and black pepper.

Then add the sweet chili sauce, red chili flakes, sriracha sauce, ginger and garlic.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Next add the canned tomato sauce,  soy sauce and water.   Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once water is cooked out, taste for salt and season and adjust to taste.  Serve hot on toasted buns.

Garnishes:
Fresh diced onion
sliced jalapenos
pickles






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