We used to have Sloppy Joe’s from a can (which has high fructose corn syrup & sugar, among other things). I wasn’t that crazy about it, and Kailey was never excited to have it, but we did have it once in a while. Now we make our own sauce and it really only takes a couple extra steps, plus it tastes so much better! I look forward to having it now and my daughter actually likes it. I do make hamburger buns sometimes but recently I found a natural option by Franz at Fred Meyer. It isn’t a perfect choice but better than other choices out there and it’s a great back-up if we are out of buns. And I haven’t really mastered making the prefect hamburger bun yet either. 😉 It is also good on bread. I do make homemade bread once/week.
For the tomato sauce, I usually use Muir Glen. And for BBQ sauce we use Trader Joe’s TJ’s BBQ sauce. It’s not perfect but much better than the Sweet Baby Ray’s that we always used and my husband really likes TJ’s. We went through a long trial and error period with BBQ sauce after switching to organic. TJ’s doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup and uses molasses instead. This recipe calls for either a 1/2 lb of hamburger or a full lb. I have made it both ways. I prefer using 1/2 lb to use less meat and save money. This is great served with my Garlic & Herb Roasted Potatoes!
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- ½ - 1 lb hamburger (grass-fed organic beef preferred)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (see picture below)
- salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
- 15 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 TB honey
- 1 TB BBQ sauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- Brown the hamburger with the onion, bellpeppers, and carrots (we don't need to drain our hamburger so if you do then maybe wait to add the onion and veggies).
- Cook until carrots are somewhat tender (I actually like a little crunch to it). Then add salt & pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, honey, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, and mustard. Mix everything up and cook another 5-10 minutes.
- It's great on hamburger buns or bread.
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This is just to show how the carrots should be chopped up. Very small. Using a food chopper would be the easiest way (see below).
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Here’s the sauce cooking. I used a 1/2 lb of hamburger that time.
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