Hey Hey Hey – What do you know – It’s Sloppy Joe casserole!

Sloppy Joes are the time honored quick and easy dinner of all time for the busy family on the go. It still qualifies as a hot, home cooked meal, yet takes less than half an hour to prepare. It is also a staple in public school cafeterias across the country, as Adam Sandler memorialized so brilliantly in the song Lunch Lady.

Whether or not it tastes good depends on several factors. If you are eating it in a school cafeteria, for instance, that is a factor that decidedly falls into the negative category. If you or your parents think Sloppy Joe sauce comes from a can of Manwich, that is another score to the negatory.

A Sloppy Joe being a healthy meal is less of a quandary, as that answer is almost always no. Questionable store bought ground beef from feedlot cattle, buns made of bleached flour and rancid soybean oils with a bucket of High Fructose Corn Syrup, processed American “cheese,” and traditional mass produced mayo make this sandwich more of a tragic creation than a sloppy one.

I have corrected this in a past article. For those of you that missed it, here it is:

https://www.mysaline.com/jason-murphy-sloppy-joes-remade/

That’s a healthy and delicious sloppy joe, and I stand by it. However, it disappears far too fast around here. When left to his own devices, my son views a leftover tub of sloppy joes for the week as a single serving. I’m all about cooking one big meal a week to cut down on cooking time, so what to do…what to do…

I know! Wonder Twins activate – form of casserole!

Almost any recipe can be stretched out by turning it into a casserole. It just requires a bit of rethinking and some modifications. That was not a problem with this dish. In fact, it allowed me to add even more healthy ingredients to boost the benefits of this classic weeknight meal. It is more involved than just browning some meat and drowning it in a can of weird sauce, but with some foresight and planning, it’s still an easy cooking experience.

Did it last longer? Yes, but only by a day or so. Sometimes a meal tastes so good that no matter how substantially large you make it, it still vanishes faster than an assistant in a magic show. Make it anyway and hide some servings if you must. After all, you are the one doing the work making it.

If you have some people that always snub their nose if the word healthy is mentioned, just tell them it’s Sloppy Joe casserole, and let the chips fall where they may. They won’t notice all the veggies and healthy fats if I had to wager a guess. To improve health, a person just has to eat that way. Intelligence is not required.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey 93%

1 large head cauliflower

1 red onion, diced

2 cans diced green chilies

1 package mixed baby potatoes (purple, red, gold)

1 cup G Hughes sugar free BBQ sauce

1/2 cup Primal Kitchen ketchup

1 large chicken egg

1/4 cup almond flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 1/2 tsp onion and garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp dried chives – divided

8 oz grass fed cheddar cheese, shredded

2 or 3 bunches of baby broccoli, roasted for a side dish

2 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

Make the meatballs the day before to save time. Mix the turkey meat with 1 tsp of the sea salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, 1 can of the green chilies, and 1/2 tsp of the dried chives. Add in the egg and almond flour, mix lightly until it comes together. Weigh out 1 oz portions, shape into balls, and bake on a sheet pan at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, roll them over, rotate the pan, and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes:

The next day, chop your cauliflower and potatoes into bite sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, then hit with the remaining 1/2 tsp of all the spices. Roast at 420 degrees for 20 minutes, stir and rotate, and roast for another 20 minutes. If you are making the broccoli, roast it as well during the last 20 minutes:

While the veggies are on the last 20 minutes of cooking, saute the red onion and remaining can of green chilies. Once soft, add the bbq sauce and ketchup. Once hot, add the meatballs and heat through: