Easy Cheesy Sloppy Joes

I had a realization the other day:

My 10 year college reunion will be next year.  NEXT YEAR.

Has it been 10 years already?  Am I that old?  Why do I still remember it like it was yesterday?

Of course, the good thing, I've changed SO MUCH since then...I hardly recognize myself from back then...

Christmas at Biltmore

     
I was young.  I was so wide eyed and idealistic.  I always believed in the best in people, to a fault sometimes.  I was romantic. I was scared of everything. I was smart but just didn't realize it.  I loved food and going out to eat with my friends and experiencing new restaurants.  I loved cafe au laits and NY crumb cake.  My second home was a gym.

Oh wait....I'm still like that.....except for the gym part.  See, I am different :)

My meal today is totally kid like.  Call it reclaiming my youth.  Call it prepping my arsenal for when I have kids.  Call it a quick meal that satisfies.  I call it delish and cheap! 

Thanks Crumbs and Chaos for the recipe!  Who doesn't love sloppy joes?

It took me about 15 minutes to throw this meal together.  The sweet potato fries took longer to bake in the oven!  But, isn't it cute?  For some reason, this meal reminds me of my childhood.

Though, I must admit...my mom didn't really fix sloppy joes.  So, I'm not sure why it reminds me of MY childhood.  Maybe it just reminds me of childhood in general.  And what I'd like to see for my future children (no, I'm not pregnant or even thinking about that right now).  I'd like to teach my family about fun meals.  Using your fingers sometimes is perfectly acceptable.  And having more than one napkin is ok too.  And if you spill it all down your shirt...it will wash out.  Laughter and sharing will be totally a part of my dinner table.  And so will these sloppy joes!

 To make this dish, I used just a few ingredients:

ground turkey, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sandwich thins, can of condensed tomato soup, salsa, and canola oil.  I totally added in some chopped onions too, but said onion escaped my photo.

Basically, it was just heating up the onion, adding in the turkey, pouring in the salsa and soup and letting that simmer for a few minutes.  Then, add in the cheese and mix until its all melty.  Toast the sandwich thins and top it with a heaping few spoonfuls of the sloppy joe mix.  And a bit more cheese and serve.  I served it with sweet potato fries.  But, you could serve it with fruit, or cut up veggies, chips, whatever!  Your choice!

Whatever you choose, know that dinner is something to be enjoyed.  Its something to be shared.  Memories are created at the dinner table.  And food can take you so many places...whether its back in time to something in your life or just by allowing you to revel in the present and creating new memories.  Or, in my case, taking you to some future time you hope to experience.  :)

Enjoy!

See ya'll soon~
B


Easy, Cheesy Sloppy Joes

Print this recipe!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb ground turkey (I used 85/15 but you can use the extra lean as well)
10 oz can reduced sodium condensed tomato soup
1 cup salsa (medium, mild, or hot...depends on the spice level you like)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese PLUS 1/4 cup more to serve with
1/3 cup chopped onions
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 sandwich thins (or hamburger buns or hoagie rolls...whatever you have!)

Directions:
1.  Heat large skillet over medium heat with canola oil.  Add in chopped onions and cook 2-3 minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
2.  Add in ground turkey and break up with wooden spoon.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until meat is no longer pink.
3.  Add in can of soup and salsa and mix well.  Turn heat down a bit and let simmer for about 3 minutes or so.  Add in 1/2 cup cheese and stir in, letting it melt and thicken the sauce.
 4.  To serve, toast hamburger buns and spoon sloppy joe mixture onto them.  Top with extra cheese if desired (about 1 tbsp per bun).  Serve with fries, chips, fruit...whatever you'd like!