secret recipe club: italian sloppy joes

i had a hard time this month making my choice from wildflour's cottage kitchen for the secret recipe club. it was a toss up between savory - italian pizzeria style sloppy joes or philly cheesesteak sloppy joes - or sweet - peanut butter bars with cinnamon or amaretto russian tea cake cookies. ultimately, and somewhat surprisingly, savory won out.

kelly's blog, wildflour's cottage kitchen, is full of great recipes, especially since kelly was a caterer for 20+ years! it's hard to believe she has no formal training and has just learned to cook such delicious looking and sounding food all on her own. and while i had a hard time choosing a recipe to make, there's one i wish i could: kelly says she's won awards from magazines and has been a first place winner in local chili cook-offs in both indiana and new jersey. now that thanksgiving has come and gone and it's truly winter in new york, it's time for chili. kelly, i want that chili recipe!

these italian sloppy joes are one of my favorite kind of dinners: not only can you cook once and eat a couple times, but leftovers can easily be thinned out a little bit and served over pasta for a totally different meal.

 

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: hard cider baked chicken & mushrooms, mini cinnamon roll cakes, double chocolate zucchini muffins with chocolate butter, butterscotch M&M oatmeal cookies, 30 minute baked tortellini, snickerdoodle bars & slow cooker chicken fajitas, meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake & slow cooker chicken cacciatore, almond strawberry jam thumbprints, almond butter cookies, enfrijoladas, chocolate snack cake, bacon topped maple french toast cupcakes, cherry sorbet, slow cooker beans & mushrooms, mojito chicken tacos, maple glazed whole wheat spiced apple pizza, pig out cookies, pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies, mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

italian sloppy joes
adapted from wildflour's cottage kitchen
40 minutes, makes 8-10

this makes plenty enough for our family of 2 adults + 1 toddler to eat a couple times for dinner. i did myself a favor and made the whole batch, freezing half for another night, and eating the leftovers from the first half over pasta. if you prefer to make enough for four servings, cut everything in half; cook times remain the same.

1lb mild or hot italian sausage
1lb ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
14.5 ounces stewed tomatoes
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
6 ounces tomato paste
8-10 buns
1 stick butter
sliced pepperoni, about 3-4 slices per sandwich
about 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. place a large saute pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. saute the sausage, beef, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, onion, and bell pepper until the meat is cooked through. season with salt and pepper and drain grease well.
2. return the pan to medium high heat and add the tomatoes, pasta sauce, tomato paste, and a half cup of water and mix well. break up large chunks of tomato with the back of your spoon. bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer uncovered until thickened, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. 
3. while the meat mixture thickens, prepare the buns. preheat your broiler and line a baking sheet with foil. melt the butter and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic powder together. cut the buns in half and brush each half with the garlic butter. place butter side up on the prepared baking sheet and broil until lightly browned. remove the top of the buns from the baking sheet and set aside. keep your broiler on.
4. when the meat mixture is thickened, place about a half cup on each bun bottom. top with a couple slices of pepperoni and about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. place back under the broiler and cook until the cheese melts. top with the bun tops and serve.

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