Who loves a good sandwich? I know I sure do. That’s why I was delighted when Alison Lewis asked me to review her newly published cookbook; 400 Best Sandwich Recipes. As soon as I received it, I knew it would become one of my go-to kitchen favorites. With everything from the classic club and sloppy joe, to international flavors you might not have thought to put together on your own (think Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich containing pork, radishes and pickled carrots), to an extensive list of condiment recipes, this book has it all. She even throws in a handful of dessert sandwiches that are guaranteed to get your sweet tooth dancing. The best part is that the majority of recipes are quick, easy and healthy. Definitely my variety of cookbook.
Some of the recipes that caught my eye for future meals include:
- Huevos Rancheros Wraps (that’s right, there’s a whole chapter on breakfast sandwiches too)
- Grilled Pear, Walnut and Goat Cheese Panini (did someone say goat cheese? I’m so there)
- Vietnamese Pork Wraps (if you could see the mouthwatering picture of this beauty, you’d be running to the store for this book as we speak)
- Chocolate Turtle Panini (uh yea. Enough said.)
After flipping through the book a few times, the first recipe that I simply had to cook up were the homemade sloppy joes. I realize they aren’t terribly sexy or trendy, but darn if they aren’t a tried and true all around delicious sandwich. I haven’t had a sloppy joe in years and they positively scream childhood to me. Just try and tell me you don’t have happy memories of a tomato soaked sandwich somewhere in your childhood.
To put together a quick and delicious sloppy joe you’ll start out by browning up a pound of ground beef along with some garlic, peppers, and onions. I am not a huge red meat eater so I substituted ground turkey in it’s place.
Cook the meat until no pink remains and then add in some tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, worcestershire, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of hot pepper sauce.
Food Storage Tip: Seeing as this recipe calls for a mere tablespoon of tomato paste, I thought I’d share a quick tip for dealing with all that leftover paste. Grab up a piece of waxed paper and spoon the remaining can into tablespoon sized portions on half your sheet. Fold the other half of your sheet over the top and gently press down. Now grab up a gallon sized freezer bag and pop those dollops inside. Store in the freezer and when you need a tablespoon of tomato paste you just grab the bag and peel off a portion. Pretty neat, yea?
Once you’ve added the above ingredients, turn the heat down to low and let it cook down until it’s a bit thickened; about 10-15 minutes. At this point you can add in some salt and pepper to suit your tastes and the filling is ready to go. I also toasted my bun in the oven with a light spread of butter on one side and a slice of Wisconsin cheese on the other.
Simple, family friendly, healthy, and quick. If that doesn’t qualify on your list of 4oo best sandwich recipes than I don’t know what does.
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Total Time: 30 min
Excerpted from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes by Alison Lewis © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission.
Ingredients:
1 Pound Lean Ground Beef (I subbed ground turkey)
1/4 Cup Onion, Chopped
1/4 Cup Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1/8 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
Salt and Pepper, to Taste
4 Hamburger Buns
Directions:
Brown the ground beef along with the onion, bell pepper and garlic on medium heat.
Cook the meat until no pink remains and then add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste. worcestershire, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce.
Turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Add in salt and pepper as desired.
Serve in toasted buns (I added a light spread of butter and a slice of cheese to mine as well).
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Great review for a great sandwich. I love delicious sandwiches like this one. It looks divine. The tip will come in handy since we love to store food. Hope you have a great weekend.
Ok, your tomato-paste-saving technique is BRILLIANT. My tomato paste always ends up going to waste because I only use a TBS or two, and then forget about using the rest (which ends up sitting in the back of the fridge).
I’ve been seeing some reviews of Lewis’ new cookbook, and I’m looking forward to taking a look at it. I’m a terrible sandwich maker–I’m just not that creative in that arena for some reason. Do these Sloppy Joes taste like the ones we grew up with? I’ve been looking for a recipe that would replicate the nostalgia, but I haven’t found one that quite gets there. Thanks!
Hi Julie,
I love sandwiches!! And sloppy joes are a favorite of my girls…guess I need to make them a bit more often for them 🙂
This week I’m sharing my EASY & Frugal Stovetop Chicken Parm Pasta! I love that I can make chicken parm without heating up my kitchen & that I can use 2 chicken breasts to feed my family of 5 with leftovers.
Hope you have a GREAT weekend!!!
HI Julie, Alison’s book seems like a great one to have. I love sloppy joes and this looks delicious. Thanks for that storage tip!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I appreciate more than I can say! Will I see you next week at Blogher food?
That tomato paste tip is BRILLIANT!
Love Alison’s sandwich book! Awesome recipes & so many great ones. This sloppy joe looks awesome 🙂
yum yum yummy, this sounds like a great book! happy weekend, anne
wow! this looks so pretty:) your photos are stunning!
What a great book; love the ideas of subs ground turkey with beef. I also have been saving my tomato paste in the freezer the same way; smard idea.
Rita
AWESOME! AND… I love the tomato paste idea! I will try this…..Thanks!
I am totally there with you on the goat cheese panini! Mmmm! And who said sloppy joe’s can’t be sexy? Look at your melted-cheesy picture! Nice work!
Awesome sloppy joe sandwich, and it looks like a great book with many different sandwich ideas!
I love sloppy joes! This looks like a great version 🙂
Hi Julie! I hope you leave this linky open for a bit… go dinner cooking now! xo Malia
I love sandwiches!!! You can’t beat a good sandwich.
What a great idea for the tomato paste! I wish I had read this before I tossed the rest of the can that I grabbed 2 tablespoons from last night. I knew I should have held onto that can! Grrrrr.
This sandwich looks awesome. I love sloppy joes now but hated them as a kid. That huevos rancheros wrap sounds freaking delicious too!
great presentation