Trashy Joes

Growing up, I always wanted a fluffy cat (spoiler: it never happened).

But there were a few times when I wished we had a dog, like on the days my mom served sloppy joes for dinner – it was never my favorite meal and I would have gladly secretly fed my sandwich to a dog. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing gross about the sloppy joes. They were perfectly normal I just never liked the concept of sloppy joes. A mushy bun with ground beef covered in tomato sauce did not appeal to me.

cooked trashy joes mixture with onion rings

So today I’m here with a sloppy joes recipe! Redone! It follows your basic sloppy joes concept (homemade, no Manwich here) with lots vegetables added and is topped with crispy onion rings & melted cheese. You’ll definitely need a knife and fork for these sloppy joes.

cooked trashy joes with sliced tomatoes and onion rings

I followed the basic sauce recipe from the back of a Manwich can. Just without all the gross stuff. No artificial flavors all good stuff. And stuff you probably already have in your pantry. It’s basically just tomato sauce, ketchup, and spices.

overhead view of trashy joes with onion rings

I debated if I should make these vegetarian sloppy joes or not. I went with regular sloppy joes, but if you’re looking for something vegetarian you can use chickpeas, kidney beans, and/or lentils in place of the ground turkey.

And I know these are made on a sheet pan, but if you’d prefer to add sandwich toppings you can add chopped lettuce, and maybe even pickles after you take the pan out of the oven. The lettuce gives it a crunch and makes it feel more like a sandwich.

Are you going to make Trashy Joes? Leave a comment below with any questions or suggestions!

Trashy Joes

From north coast eats at https://northcoasteats.com/trashy-joes/

https://northcoasteats.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/trashy.joes_.northcoasteats-0242.jpg

Yield: serves 5 people

Trashy Joes follows your basic sloppy joes concept (homemade, no Manwich here) with lots vegetables added and is topped with crispy onion rings & melted cheese.

You'll Need...

1 13 ounce bag frozen onion rings
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey (or beans/lentils if you’re vegetarian!)
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon worcester sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
15 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Directions

Cook onion rings according to package directions. Prepare everything else while the onion rings cook.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, carrot, onion, celery. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Add ground turkey to the same skillet. Season with salt & pepper. As meat cooks, keep chopping it up so the pieces stay small. Cook until lightly browned.
In the same skillet add the rest of ingredients (except cheese & tomatoes). Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer everything until warm and boiling, about 6 minutes.
Top with cherry tomatoes, cooked onion rings, and cheese. Place skillet in preheated oven and cook for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.