Grandma's Sloppy Joe's

(and a vegetarian version)

Sloppy joe with homemade bread and butter pickles

My grandmother wasn't much of a cook.

Actually, that may not be fair.  Because my grandfather did the vast majority of the cooking in the house, she didn't cook much so I don't really know how good she was.

Something she DID make for me fairly frequently was sloppy joes.  To this day, I love them but haven't made them in years because my wife isn't fond of them (she's not a big fan of beef).  I do remember my grandmother telling me that my grandfather made them this way in his restaurant, so I guess part of the credit goes to him also.

My wife was out this evening so I took the opportunity to make them.  One of our friends was here for dinner and loved them.  She's not a huge sloppy joe fan either, so that bodes well for how good they are.

I decided I needed to write them up, if for no other reason than so it will be easier for me to remember how to make them next time!

Admittedly, sloppy joes are NOT difficult to make and no one will mistake them for something requiring serious culinary skills to prepare, but they ARE really good and they're great comfort food!

Ingredients

• 1 lb hamburger (for vegetarian version, use Morningstar Farms crumbles or whatever brand you prefer)
• 1 10.5 oz can Campbell's vegetable beef soup (straight out of can, do NOT add water) or Campbell's vegetarian vegetable soup instead
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 package buns, toasted (potato buns are perfect for this)

Directions

1. Brown hamburger (or vegetarian crumbles) and diced onions
2. Add soup (direct from can, do NOT add water), catsup, mustard and chili powder and mix well
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer
4. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld
5. Serve on toasted bun (try it with yellow mustard and bread and butter pickles - it may not sound it, but it's a great combination!)