Sloppy Joes (Dairy) for Shavuot

A lot of kosher restaurants seem to think Sloppy Joes mean sandwiches with layered slices of various deli meats. I'm talking about classic Sloppy Joes here – ground beef, tomato sauce, and spices. This is just like what they served at camp or the school cafeteria. They're messy and they're delicious.

And in this case, they're dairy.

I used MorningStar Farms soy ground beef crumbles, which are dairy. So technically, these are not 100 percent traditional Sloppy Joes, but you can easily swap out the soy beef for real ground beef and the rest of the recipe will remain the same. I chose to use the fake stuff because 1) I just watched Bobby Flay do a Sloppy Joe throwdown on Food Network and got inspired, and B) I wanted something tasty to bring to a Shavuot potluck this weekend.

And let me tell you, this is delicious. If you didn't know it was fake beef, you wouldn't know the difference once it's piled high on a bun and you're biting in.

Sloppy Joes

1 tbs chopped garlic

2 tsp hot pepper sauce

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

½ cup tomato sauce

½ cup ketchup

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp mustard powder

1 medium size onion, diced

1 c water

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 12-oz packages MorningStar Farms “ground beef” Grillers Recipe Crumbles

Hamburger or slider rolls (how many depends on how sloppy you want to make your sandwiches)

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Sweat the onions, stirring frequently, until they are nearly translucent. Add the ground beef and garlic and stir to combine.

Separately, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce.  Fold the sauce into the “meat” mixture and then add 1 cup of water. Stir in 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. 

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.  If it starts to look too dry, add a little more water.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.  And, since this recipe uses fake ground beef, feel free to add a slice of American cheese on top.