
My kids think a dinner of sloppy joes and potato chips is a huge treat, so I love adding bags of Sloppy Joe meat to my freezer stash. It makes me feel a great mom when, even though it’s been a tremendously busy day and I haven’t made a thing for dinner, I can whip something out that everyone loves and is excited about!
This recipe will make four large freezer bags full of Sloppy Joe meat filling. I like to make this large batch, use one portion for dinner the night I make it and add three portions to my freezer stash for later. It really doesn’t take any longer to make this large batch than to make a small batch.
Ingredients:
- 8 lbs. ground beef
- 4 onions, diced
- 4 green bell peppers, diced
- 1/2 c. minced garlic
- 4 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1/4 c. blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 T. dry mustard powder
- 1 T. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
- 1 c. water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- tobasco sauce or sriracha to taste
Cooking Instructions:
1. Brown the beef with the diced onions and garlic. Drain excess grease, add the peppers and cook another few minutes.
2. Add the tomato sauce and paste, the molasses, the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and spices. Add 1 c. water. Stir and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste it and decide if it needs a little extra kick. If so, add Tobasco or Sriracha to taste.
3. Let the meat mixture cool to almost room temperature, then divide evenly into four portions. Pack 3 of the portions into individual freezer bags, squeeze the air out, and label them with their name and date and the follow cooking instructions: Place in fridge overnight to thaw. Squeeze contents into crockpot, add 1 c. water, and heat on low 4+ hours. Serve on toasted hamburger rolls.
4. Add 1 c. water to the portion left in your saucepan and serve on toasted hamburger rolls. My husband likes a couple of slices of jalapeno peppers on top of his. I like a slice of cheddar on top of mine.
Enjoy! These are scrumptious!