Stuffed Sloppy Joes

Originally posted on June 3, 2013

Hellooo everyone! Long time no see.

Things have been hectic over the last week or so, so I'm finally getting back into the routine of posting.  But I have still been cooking and have a ton of pictures and yummy recipes to show all of you, so no worries there!!

This recipe is what I made for dinner a few nights ago - it was delicious!  It's a mix of two yummy staple dinners - sloppy joes and stuffed bell peppers.  Rather than making the sloppy joes and putting them on buns, I used the mixture as my stuffing for the bell peppers.  It ended up being savory with a hint of sweetness, and I will definitely be making this one again.

Let me know how this turns out for you - and above all, enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Splenda, or sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• Dash salt and pepper
• 3 green peppers, halved
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet until fully cooked.  Add the onion powder and garlic powder a few minutes before done.  Drain and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine the Worcestershire sauce, Splenda, Dijon mustard, vinegar, ketchup, water, salt and pepper.

4. Mix into ground turkey mixture until fully coated.

5. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Stir half of the cheddar cheese into the sloppy joe mixture.

7. Meanwhile, parboil the peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain.

8. Place peppers in a baking dish and fill them with the meat mixture.

9. Top peppers with the remaining cheddar cheese.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is hot and bubbly.

Tips: 

• I used ground turkey but feel free to use lean ground beef if you prefer.
• The sloppy joe mixture can be adjusted to add more sweetness or tartness.  Add a little more sugar if you would prefer a sweeter mixture, or more ketchup and vinegar if you feel like it's too sweet.
• I used Splenda, but you can use white or even brown sugar if you would prefer a different flavor.
• I substituted onion powder for onions in the ground turkey, but you can also use 2 teaspoons of fresh minced onion in it's place.

Recipe Inspiration:

• http://www.levelonenetwork.com/wahmonline/easy-sloppy-joe-recipe/