PIZZA “SLOPPY JOES”

This is one of the few dishes I have made where I really liked it and my husband didn’t. I think I went wrong telling him we were having a version of “sloppy joes” for dinner because he set his expectations for it to taste similar to the ones he remembered from his childhood. If I were to make it again I would probably use more traditional seasonings and serve it on a bun. Nevertheless, as a bean and biscuit casserole, it is delicious!!

This recipe can be found at “Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures”: PIZZA SLOPPY JOES UNDER BUN. I want to point out that the “Spices/Herbs Ingredients” list is optional based on how spicy your pizza sauce is and your taste preferences. These additional spices would get added to the bean pot. Here is what they say you can do if you don’t need the “bun” topping to be gluten free: “You can easily substitute this part of the recipe with your favorite drop biscuit recipe and add the following ingredients to it: ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast.  

I couldn’t help but think of this quote by Professor Gerard Egan, Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Chicago and best-selling author: "It's our expectations that hurts us. Not reality! Whatever happens in actuality is real. What we think should happen in the world is unreal! So people are hurt by their expectations. We're not disappointed by what we find, we are only ever disappointed when our expectations DON'T become reality!"

PIZZA “SLOPPY JOES”

Ingredients

Pizza Sloppy Joe Ingredients:

1 cup fine diced yellow onion

1 cup fine diced red bell pepper (I used green and yellow from my garden)

1 cup diced button mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms)

1 Tablespoon tamari (Mine was reduced sodium tamari)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 cup vegetable broth 

2 cups pizza sauce (I made my own)

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 (15.5 oz.) can navy beans, drained and rinsed (I didn’t have so used pinto beans)

1 (14 oz.) can brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup sliced black olives, optional (I used)

Optional Additional Spices/Herbs: (I added but really did not need to because my sauce was spicy enough)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder (+/-)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (+/-)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed fennel (+/-) (I used 1/4 tsp and chopped the seeds)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (+/-) (I used 1/4 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) (I used 1/4 tsp)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)

Dry Bun Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch (I didn’t have so used corn starch)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed/flax meal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) (I used 1/4 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Wet Bun Ingredients:

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup unsweetened plain plant milk (I used cashew milk)

3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 Tablespoon tahini

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet or similar stock pot, add the finely diced onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and tamari. Dry sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning. (I didn’t need to add water because so much was released by the mushrooms.)

3. Add the minced garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds.

4. Add all the remaining Pizza Sloppy Joe Ingredients, stir to mix well. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Taste and decide if you want to add any of the optional additional spices to ramp up the flavor. Remove from the stove, setting aside while making the bun topping.

5. Add all of the Wet Bun Ingredients together and set aside.

6. Add all of the Dry Bun Ingredients into a mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Add the Wet Bun Ingredients to the bowl of Dry Bun Ingredients. Stir well to combine.

7. Place the Sloppy Joe Mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish or large oven-proof skillet.

8. Using a tablespoon carefully dollop the Bun Topping Mixture over the top of the Sloppy Joe Mixture. Do NOT press the Bun Topping down or smooth it out.

9. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a bun comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 15 minutes before serving. (Mine baked 20 minutes.)

   See blog post for substitutions and helpful hints.