Spiced up Sloppy Joes

I have a confession. I love the Bachelorette and have followed all the seasons for years. I know that only a small handful of couples make it after the show ends…okay, like 4 couples have actually lasted through ABC’s 10-year long matchmaking stint. But, who can resist an onscreen love journey to tropical places that ends with an epic rose ceremony? Please tell me you watch it too. Clearly, I would love to talk about it.

Recently my friends and I started having “parties” for our shows. Really this means we get together, make a nice meal and glue our eyes to the screen, but a party sounds much cooler. When The Voice ended Bachelorette parties took over. The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise has to love a diehard fan like me.

Coincidentally, the Bachelorette airs on Monday’s which makes it the perfect Meal Share Monday! Our most recent Bachette par-tay got a little spicy with some chipotle sloppy joes. Unfortunately, it was our mouths that were on fire because the Bachette was not so spicy. What can you expect from southern doll Emily though? Don’t worry ABC, I promise to continue to watch spice or no spice.

I went through a phase where I thought sloppy joes were a little too much of a reminder of camp as a child, but this adult version is nothing like the very literal slop they used to serve us. Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey (you can use beef or chicken as a substitute)
2 cups of white onion, chopped and keep a few slices to add to the top
3 garlic cloves, chopped (you know I’m a garlic lover)
1 can of chipotle chilies
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes if you like it more chunky
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Get Cooking:

Sauté onions, garlic and green pepper in a medium skillet until the onions start to soften. Add the ground turkey and cook until there is no pink. I am big on spices so I usually add a few sprinkles of salt, pepper and cumin into the meat mix.

Mix in 2 chopped chipotle chilies and a couple spoonfuls of the adobo sauce. If you like to perspire when you eat then do double time on the peppers. If you are sensitive to spice then use a can of green chilies rather than the chipotle option for a mild kick. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cumin and S & P into the skillet. Stir well and let simmer for 5 minutes or so.

While the slop is getting sloppy, sauté your onion slices over medium heat and toast your buns.

And, that’s that! Add a heaping helping of the meat mixture to your bun, top with onions and serve with beans and coleslaw to cool off. I would have served pickles too if my friend Brandon, the anti-pickle warrior, wouldn’t have been there. He makes me hide them because he hates them that much. Weirdo.

This is hot comfort foodieness at its best. Not a sloppy joes fan? You can still enjoy this spicy mix in burger form.

Food, a begging dog (at least someone drools over my chef skills), crazy friends and a little Bachelorette…doesn’t get much better than this on a Monday night.

Enjoy your scrumptious camp kickback!

Do you faithfully follow a show? Have you ever had a foodie party like this? Please say I am not the only one!