Sloppy joes are so versatile, easy, and the essential skillet meal. This Chili Joes recipe brings the delicious flavor of a pot of chili to the bun.
It’s now the Tuesday after Labor Day. This means that all the kids in this area have started school. It also means that not only are parents probably happy they’re back in school, but on the same note, it means having to plan dinner around school, after school, and sports practices. Yay.
We didn’t have a lot of that growing up. Yes, there were after school activities sometimes, but by the time my sister and I were active in them, we were old enough to no longer need a baby sitter and could make dinner. With the exception of that one time I played soccer, but most of games and practices were on the weekends back in the day. So, no having to deal with what’s for dinner that year.
Of course, having kids is not a prerequisite for needing to prepare and plan for dinners. With our schedule the way it is, I’m out of the house 12 hours a day. That doesn’t leave much time for cooking dinner, evening routines, and walking the dog before bed. Especially since bed is 9pm. Luckily, the hubs can prepare the ingredients before I get home to cook dinner.
Yup. I hear ya! Why doesn’t he cook the dinner? If I remember to write out and print the recipe for him and it’s not too difficult, then he will. And then there’s days like today where I forgot to take the chicken out for the slow cooker meal I planned. The hubs is no stranger to the kitchen and can cook up a mean piccata or roman chicken, but when it comes to a recipe I’ve written he’s apprehensive. And that’s understandable. It’s like giving someone a sewing patter without telling them what it is they’re making. He doesn’t have my vision and expectation of what it’s going to taste like.
Many of the meals we have been making lately are one pan. Because, honestly, who has the time to cook and do dishes in the same night? If there’s more than one pot to clean it doesn’t get done until the next day. Sometimes, we have to do dishes before we can cook dinner when that happens. It does slow things down a bit and delays dinner to table time. With a skillet meal, you don’t have to worry about anything but… one skillet. And your dinner dishes, of course, but those go into the dish washer at our house. The pots and pans not so much.
We didn’t have many skillet meals growing up. Which means, of course, we didn’t have any of those helper meals. My parents always thought we could easily make a healthier version of those meals at home. Additionally, we didn’t have the boxed macaroni and cheese, either. We made a stove-top version every time we wanted mac n cheese. No, we didn’t even make a baked version. I didn’t know there was such a creature until I started getting cooking magazines. I don’t think I’ve even made a baked mac n cheese. Hmm… That’s something that needs to happen.
Where was I? Oh yeah, skillet meals. You see how my brain can just wander sometimes? When I think about skillet meals, the ultimate skillet meal comes to mind. Sloppy Joes!! Not only are they delicious, but they’re fun to eat, and they’re a hit with most kids. I say most because I think there are some out there that don’t like them. Which blows my mind because I love them!!
And, you don’t have to stick with the stuff from the can, either. Actually, I ask that you please don’t stick to the stuff in the can. You can make that sauce with some pantry ingredients and it’ll be tastier and healthier than the can. It will definitely be cheaper, too. Making these from scratch also allows you to make any flavor you want!!
For example, you can make some delicious Green Chile Sloppy Joes. Like the Tex-Mex flavors? Then try the Taco Joes and Chicken Fajita Joes. Want to head to a different country? How about some Potsticker Joes or Swedish Meatball Joes? In addition to these sloppy joe recipes, there’s Turkey Cheesesteak, Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Cheeseburger, and Supreme Pizza Joes.
Wow. I’ve made a lot of joes for dinner!! I had no idea there were so many. I also have lasagna joes in the works, too. So, stay tuned for at least one more. Since they’re so easy to prepare with just some ground beef and any pantry ingredient you want, I see many more variations of this in our future. Because I LOVE me a good sloppy joe for a quick and easy skillet dinner.
When I started going through all my joes recipes, I realized that I didn’t have a sloppy joe based on chili. So, of course, I had to remedy that and make these delicious Chili Joes for #SundaySupper. They have hearty meat coated with a delicious, chili flavored sauce that’s perfect for any night of the week. Just look at that delicious sandwich! The bits of tomato and onion sneak some veggies in for the kiddos. You know it’s healthy for them so you’re more than happy to offer up seconds. And since it’s made in one skillet, there’s plenty of family time around the table.
Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake is hosting the event this week. Make sure to show her some love for putting together the preview post and the coding for everyone’s post. She also put together some fun Twitter questions for our chat Sunday at 7pm ET. I hope you can join in on the chat. They’re hilarious and you can learn a lot from all of these wonderful cooks.
Heat a larger skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef in the pan crumbling it as it cooks. Stir in the next six ingredients (tomato sauce through oregano) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Divide the meat evenly between the four buns. Top with your choice of chili toppings like cheese, sour cream, or green onions before serving.
Chili Joes
Ingredients
Yield: 4
Instructions
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