I love sloppy joes in summer.  It cooks up quickly on the stovetop, no oven needed and doesn’t take long either.  It goes well with summertime side dishes such as coleslaw.  Total cost per plate – 87 cents!  I forgot to take a pic of the finished product – I was too busy shoving it down my gullet.

Ingredients

Sloppy Joes – $6.24, makes at least 8 and more like 10

1 pound ground beef {$2.99}

14 oz. canned crushed tomatoes {.75}

1/2 white or sweet onion, diced {.25}

1 green bell pepper, diced {.75}

6 oz. tomato paste {.50}

Garlic powder, salt and pepper

Hamburger buns {$1}

Start the onions in a little bit of oil, and cook until they start to sweat.  Add the ground beef, and chopped bell pepper.  The onions should be sweet by the time you’re done, if not, cook a little longer until they are translucent and starting to caramelize.  My family doesn’t.  Brown the ground beef, and drain off any fat.  Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, season to taste (I love plenty of garlic), and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.  Serve on hamburger buns or onion rolls.

I usually add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, but it’s not necessary and that’s a personal preference.  If you’re used to Manwich, you might want to add a pinch of brown sugar to make it sweeter.

Out of crushed tomatoes?  Make your own!

Coleslaw – .70

half a head green cabbage {.50}

2 carrots, peeled and shredded {.20}

chopped red cabbage, if you have some

Mayo, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Shred the lettuce and grate the carrots. You know, so it looks coleslawish.  Plop a dollop of mayo right on top, splash with rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Mix it around.  Taste, and add more mayo/vinegar depending on how saucy, tangy, or creamy you like it. A little bit of grated apple will perk the slaw up if you have one!

** A note about the ground beef.  I buy all natural, hormone and antibiotic free ground beef that is ground fresh in the store, not at the slaughterhouse.  It usually costs $5 a pound but I stocked up when they had a sale for $2.99.  BUT… I’ve learned how the butcher marks down meat, and usually if I show up at 7:45 pm (the deli closes at 8:00) I can get ground beef for half price and they almost always have some organic ground beef left.  So I usually don’t pay more than $3 per pound. **

Make it cheaper! Use lentils and rice instead of ground beef, fresh tomatoes from your garden, or make your own hamburger buns.

Make it faster! Use bagged coleslaw mix and bottled dressing.

Tip: Stock up on hamburger buns around Memorial Day and Independence Day.  They go on sale all over town, and I use coupons to get the good one – whole wheat or onion flavored- for super cheap!  They’ll keep in your freezer, just let them thaw on the counter in the bag.

Tip: You can shred carrots into the sauce for an extra veggie boost.

Linked with:

Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

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