Globecooking recipe : Garlic bread topped Sloppy Joes (USA)

Real All-American Sloppy Joes are served as a soft roll, filled with what is basically a bolognese sauce. I've also seen versions where toasted slices of baguette are served with the meat sauce spooned over the top. I decided to go for an upside down version and also added in loads of sneaky veg (which isn't authentic at all and also made the Madhouse kids grumble but too bad, I'm a mum and that's my job !)

Garlic Bread Topped Sloppy Joes

ingredients :

a drizzle of oil

1 pack (500g) minced beef

2 onions

1 clove of garlic

1/4 red pepper

1/4 green pepper

2 carrots

a handful of mushrooms

tin of sweetcorn

tin of chopped tomatoes

squeeze of tomato puree

seasoning of choice : I threw in some leftover fajita seasoning

a pack of frozen garlic bread slices (or make your own)

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan. Gently fry the onions and garlic then add the mince and roughly chop it with a wooden spoon as it's cooking.

When all the pink has turned to brown, add the carrots, red and green peppers and mushrooms and keep cooking, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes and sweetcorn, then the tomato puree and the seasoning. Add a little water if necessary. Simmer for 10-15 minutes for the sauce to thicken and the flavours to develop.

Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Lay the slices of garlic bread on top. (It doesn't matter if they are still frozen.)

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so, until the bread has toasted.

Pierre is still on a mission to try to eat absolutely everything with chopsticks !

If you're wondering what to do with a pack of mince and you want a change to the usual chilli/spag bol/mince and onion options, this is another versatile recipe that can be tweaked to use up whatever's in your cupboards.

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index !  If you want to try some more American recipes, how about Hoppin' John & Collards (South Carolina), Parmesan Chicken Breast, Minnesotan Hotdish or Snickerdoodles ?

Adding to the #KitchenClearout linky because this used up the end of a sachet of fajita seasoning and also a pack of garlic bread that has been in the freezer for goodness knows how long !