Here’s a great meal for trick or treat night – something warm and yummy for the family to come home to or to fill the kids up before they run house to house for two hours.  I haven’t had Sloppy Joes for ages and truthfully I hadn’t even thought about making them for the family.  A few weeks ago my friend Liz was whipping up a batch at her house and they looked delicious.  She said it was her mother in law’s recipe that was a popular one in their family.  I tried a bite and it was a delicious reminder of my childhood.  The next few weeks I kept thinking about these magical little messy meat sandwiches and couldn’t shake the desire to make Liz’s Sloppy Joes.  I decided to amp up the flavor by adding some spicy jalapenos and melted pepper jack cheese.  My husband really enjoyed this little addition (I left it off of my daughters’).  In terms of Sloppy Joe recipes, I’d say you get some phenomenal flavor from just a few ingredients.  Also a great one to serve a crowd for a party or on a game day.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes with  Pepper Jack Cheese (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

6-8 celery stalks, diced

1 12 oz. bottle chili sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

Whole wheat hamburger buns

Jalapeno rings (I used bottled but you could definitely use fresh jalapenos instead)

Pepper jack cheese (I sliced pieces from an 8 oz. block)

Directions:

Brown the onion and ground beef in skillet.  Drain all fat from beef.  In slow cooker add browned beef, green pepper, celery, chili sauce and tomato paste.  Mix together and cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Top hamburger bun with Sloppy Joe then top with jalapeno rings and pepper jack cheese.  Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*if you don’t own a crock pot, just brown beef in large skillet or soup pot.  Add all other ingredients and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.  An electric skillet works equally well and is what my friend Liz uses when she makes it.

Recipe complements of Liz White via Jane White.

Green Beans and Red Pepper Side:  Blanch green beans in boiling water for appx. 3 minutes. Slice a red pepper.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet with 1 tsp minced garlic over medium heat.  Saute blanched beans and red pepper slices in skillet for 3-4 minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.