Can you believe the 4th of July is this weekend?! While some might call us crazy, we’re packing our little guy Lars (official intro coming in a few days!), throwing our bags in the car, and heading up to the cabin for the weekend. It’s hard to believe just a few years ago we were spending our first 4th of July together at the cabin, running in a muddy 4th of July 10K in the backwoods of Northern Minnesota and enjoying a campfire with friends, and now we are bringing our newborn up with us. Craziness.
I always think of the 4th of July as the perfect time to grab some friends, head outside, and have a barbecue or a picnic before watching the fireworks. Sloppy joe’s also come to mind when I think of get-togethers during the summer, because the meat is so easy to make ahead of time and keep warm in a slow cooker. Don’t get me wrong – I love my grilled meats. But you have to feel bad for whoever is the one stuck standing over the grill cooking for everyone. So on a weekend where maximizing the fun is high priority, sloppy joes win.
These sloppy joe’s are a fun take on Philly Cheesesteaks, complete with the cheese sauce! I used GO Veggie! Lactose-Free Cheddar and Pepper Jack Shreds for the cheese sauce to cut back on calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Bonus: it’s gluten-free too! It melted like a charm and was the perfect gooey cheese sauce that every Philly Cheesesteak should have!
Even though they are a little less indulgent, these sloppy joes are still every bit of delicious. The only problem with them is the problem that comes with every sloppy joe – they are a little messy to eat! I think that just adds to the fun of eating them, and we used our potato chips to scoop up the meat that fell out. Problem, solved!
Ingredients
For the sloppy joe mixture:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion about 3/4 cup, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper about 1/2 cup, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon steak sauce such as A-1
- 3/4 cup beef broth
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or dairy milk if you're not lactose-free
- 1 cup GO Veggie! Lactose Free Cheddar and Pepper Jack Shreds
- 4 buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until brown.
- Add onion and bell pepper, season with salt, and cook until veggies are softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook one more minute.
- Add Worcestershire, steak sauce, and beef broth.
- Cook another 5 minutes, until beef broth has cooked down.
- To make the cheese sauce:
- In small saucepan, melt butter.
- Add flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly.
- Bring milk mixture to a simmer, then add cheese.
- Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
- To assemble:
- Place desired amount of beef mixture on buns, then top with cheese sauce.
- Enjoy!
Eek! I can’t wait to officially “meet” Lars! Huge congrats to you guys!! And have so much fun this weekend! PS these sound delicious!
ok, YUM!! How have I not thought of this before?! It looks AHMAZING!!! Seriously, great recipe! Can’t wait to meet Lars!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing minus the life craziness!