When I got married fifteen years ago, I didn’t really have a lot of cooking skills. Okay, I basically had none. Cooking for me was opening a can, or frozen bag of something and heating it up.
I did move on to more complex dishes like Sloppy Joes made with Manwich. I say complex because that actually required opening a can, AND browning some ground beef. Whoa. Major stuff.
Speed forward about fourteen years, and I am now creating my own Sloppy Joe recipes. It’s a far cry from my Manwich days.
I love the flavors of Greece. Olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, and peppers are some of my favorite foods. I used all of these flavors in this Sloppy Joe recipe, and they take this old family favorite to a whole other level.
What you will need:
1/2 pound ground chicken breast, tomato sauce, carrots, celery, onions, Kalamata olives, red bell peppers, feta cheese, oregano, garlic powder, red wine vinegar (not pictured) and salt & pepper. You will also need four hamburger buns, of course.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken to the pan. Brown the ground chicken, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula, about 3-4 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots, and 1 cup of finely chopped red onions to the pan. Cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 3/4 cup of finely chopped red bell pepper, and 1/3 cup of finely chopped celery to the pan. Cook, while stirring for another three minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano to the pan.
Stir in one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (no salt added).
Next, add two tablespoons of tomato paste to the pan. (love these tubes of tomato paste).
Pour in one tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
Throw in eleven finely chopped Kalamata olives and stir in a 1/3 cup of water.
Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Check the seasonings, and add more salt if necessary ( I added another dash of salt).
While that is cooking, toast the buns.
Place the toasted bun on a plate. Spoon one-fourth of the Sloppy Joe mixture onto the bottom half of the bun.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese on top.
Finish with the top half of the bun.
Linking to
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