sloppy joe sliders

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Serve these sloppy Joe sliders at your next gathering and watch them disappear! Traditional sloppy Joe filling is served on soft bakery rolls with a delicious baked glaze on top. Try BBQ sauce as a dipper—fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 (12-count) package artisan soft bakery rolls
24 small slices sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon olive or avocado oil
1 pound 80% lean ground beef
1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder and/or cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
sesame or poppy seeds

Direction

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut rolls in half and lay bottom halves on the sheet. Place a piece of cheese on each bottom half. Set tops aside and cover baking sheet with a tea towel while working on the filling.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 1 minute, then add ground beef. Cook until browned and crumbly, breaking the meat up with a spoon, and onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain grease, then add garlic. Stir to combine and lower heat to medium-low.
Stir ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and chili powder together in a small bowl. Add to the cooked beef, then stir in water. Simmer on low, stirring frequently, until thickened to your taste, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Place a heaping spoonful of meat mixture over cheese on the bottom half of rolls. Cover the meat mixture with another slice of cheese. Replace the tops.
For glaze, mix butter, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Brush over tops of rolls, then sprinkle each roll top with sesame or poppy seeds.
Bake sliders, uncovered, in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and tops are nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Serve with BBQ sauce, ketchup, or yellow mustard for dipping.

Slow Cooker Pasta Bake

I don’t mean to turn this into a confessional, but this dish came together because I saw a jar of marinara sauce sitting on the kitchen counter. Hey, inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. But this is a traditional baked ziti with creamy ricotta and mozzarella, salty parm, and tender pasta, all just so yummy together, plus the carrots and zucchini. On occasion when I’m really busy, I’ll go to the grocery store and get vegetables already chopped, and throw everything into the slow cooker for a nice dinner later on. It’s a shortcut on top of a shortcut. I’m gentle when folding in the spinach, as the pasta could start to fall apart if you do this with hurried, crushing blows. Tom and I both like this with a fresh Caesar salad, but any crisp, cold, and simple green salad will go well with this dish.