A break would be nice.
A long, extended weekend would be wonderful right now. A day to recoup, exhale, and relax.
I think just about everyone could use that.
I’ve been knees-deep in work lately. Severe weather season is slowly dragging to a close. By June 1st, we usually are out of the woods. June 1st seems like miles away right now, though.
Instead of a day off, I’ll do what I can to relax. That’s blogging, cooking, and watching reruns on Netflix. I’m craving comfort foods, too. The comfier, the better. Pasta, potatoes, casseroles—you name it. I’ll be taking a break from keto while we wrap up the next couple of weeks at work.
Nothing screams comfort to me like sloppy joes. The messy meat sandwiches bring me back to my childhood. If you’ve never cracked open a tin of Manwhich, you’re truly missing out. There’s something so innocent and wild about dribbling meat & sauce mixture down the front of your shirt while eating a sandwich.
Sloppy joes aren’t supposed to be pretty. They’re not supposed to be eaten with a fork and knife. You can’t use those dusty etiquette skills for this meal. You need to just chow down, enjoy, and relax.
Instead of a sandwich, I went with a pasta (see: need for comfort food). Little twists of carby rotini pasta was just what the doctor ordered. Well, just what my imaginary doctor ordered. There’s no way my actual doctor would advocate for more carbs in real life.
Sloppy joe pasta tastes exactly like the real thing. I added cheese because, let’s be honest, everything is better with cheese. A cheesy, saucy mixture tossed all about with some pasta—that’s exactly the comfort food I needed in my life.
Enjoy!
Sloppy Joe Pasta
Rotini pasta tossed with a homemade sloppy joe mixture for a perfect comfort food dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey or beef
- 16 oz. rotini pasta
- 1 TBS. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- salt & pepper
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 TBS. brown sugar
- 1 TBS. white vinegar
- 1 TBS. yellow mustard
- 1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- In a small bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture into skillet with turkey and onions. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix together pasta with meat sauce mixture. Stir in cheese. Serve.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add ground turkey, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
In a small bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture into skillet with turkey and onions. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes.
Mix together pasta with meat sauce mixture. Stir in cheese. Serve.
leencuisine.com 
this sounds right up my alley. putting it on pinterest now!
It’s a good one!! Thank you!
I’ve never tried sloppy Joes (i dont think we have them in the UK), but this recipe sounds like something I’d really enjoy. Especially with pasta.
Sloppy joe’s are the epitome of comfort food here in America. I hope you give this a try! It’s tangy, savory and addicting.