Sloppy Joe with Creamy Polenta
This Sloppy Joe with Creamy Polenta recipe is a grown-up twist on a childhood favorite! A tasty homemade sloppy joe sauce served over polenta that gets baked in the oven and requires minimal stirring.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 452kcal
Ingredients
Creamy Polenta
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup polenta meal
- 1 tbsp butter , plus more for greasing baking pan
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt or more to taste
Sloppy Joe
- 1 tbsp ghee , coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 lb . ground chicken
- 1/2 medium onion , finely chopped
- 1 stalk of celery , finely chopped
- 2 small carrots (or 1 large), finely grated
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups of strained tomatoes (or tomato puree)
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- three green onions (green parts only), thinly sliced
Instructions
Polenta
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 1 1/2 or 2 quart baking dish with butter. Add the water, polenta, salt and butter and mix together with a fork. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes Remove from the oven and stir. Place back into the oven and bake for another ten minutes. Let the polenta rest for five minutes before serving.
Sloppy Joe
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the ground chicken, breaking up with a spoon while it begins to brown. Add the chopped onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the grated carrot, smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt and tomato paste, toss to coat the meat mixture, and let cook for about a minute. Add the strained tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and honey to the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a slow simmer and let cook for about 15-20 minutes. Serve over creamy polenta and garnish with sliced green onions.
Notes
If you are only serving two people at a time, you can pour the leftover polenta into a buttered square or rectangular dish. It's best to do this at the same time as serving so that the polenta is still soft and pliable. Refrigerate overnight, then when ready to serve the leftovers, you can cut the polenta into slices and pan fry it. Serve the sloppy joe over top. Alternatively, you could reheat it gently on the stovetop with a little water or milk added to get it back to your desired consistency.