Healthy Sloppy Joe Sliders

I love making these sloppy joes when I’m craving something meaty and hearty, yet healthy. Sloppy joes can be as unhealthy as you like, or as healthy as you like. I like to add a ton of veggies to mine and honestly, you can’t even tell the difference between all-meat sloppy joes and these sloppy joes. As long as you season everything well with herbs and spices, the veggies really  just enhance the meat. Jeff hates mushrooms, but in these suckers, he doesn’t even notice they are there.

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2-3 medium sized carrots, minced
½ cup white button mushrooms, minced
1 lb. extra lean (96/4) ground beef
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
buns of choice; I like Hawaiin sweet rolls as sliders
toothpicks

Directions:

1. On medium low heat, saute garlic and onions for 5 minutes, or until fragrant and translucent.
2. Add the carrots and dash of salt and pepper and saute for 5 more minutes, until carrots soften a little.
3. Add mushrooms and celery and stir; Saute for a few more minutes until softened.
4. Add ground beef and cook on medium high until the meat is no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is integrated well. Season to taste.
5. Lower heat to low and cook for at least 15 more minutes. Let liquids reduce down and flavors intensify. The longer you cook it, the more deep the flavors will be. Scrape spatula against the bottom of the pan periodically so the mixture doesn’t stick. Feel free to add a splash of water if the mixture gets too thick.
6. Served on toasted buns or slider rolls and hold together with toothpicks. Enjoy!

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