Sloppy Joes For Toddlers–With a Twist
Obvious move, this one–after all, Sloppy Joes are just chopped-up hamburgers doused in even more ketchup than your kiddo would normally put on his/her burger. Were it not for the fact that eating a bunch of saucy loose meat on a damp bun is very true to its name, you might as well call these things sugar meat.
Much harder task: make sloppy joes appeal to we parents, who decidedly don’t want to eat a plate of condiments topped with ground beef. Our solution: import the vivid and brighter flavors of another ground meat and tomato dish–in this case, the Indian/Pakistani dish known as keema–into the Sloppy Joe sandwich template. Don’t you worry: this one is not spicy. But with ginger and garam masala in the mix, there’s actual flavor in here, and it skews spiced and savory rather than sweet sweet sweet. Added bonus: by cooking the meat in the vegetable and spice puree, the meat becomes a soft paste that, when stuck on top of some yogurt- or mayo-laced bun, won’t fall out of the bun every time your child tries to take a bite.
- 1 small Onion
- 1/4 Red Pepper
- 2 Beefsteak Tomatoes (if using Roma tomatoes, use four)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garam Masala
- 2/3 lb ground Lamb ((ground beef fine, too))
- Cilantro (fresh or dried is fine)
- Hamburger Buns (brioche recommended)
Slice onions. Dice pepper. Cut tomato(es) into three or four pieces, discarding the fibrous center. Peel ginger and spice into small pieces; do the same for the garlic cloves. If using fresh cilantro, dice it into small pieces.
- Heat onions in a large skillet or pot set to Medium Low for roughly 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chopped peppers and continue cooking until onions are caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.
- Place onion pepper mixture–including any oil left in pan–in a blender, along with the tomato pieces, three squirts of ketchup, a squirt of mustard, a glug of Worcestershire sauce, the chopped up garlic, and ginger, and a pinch of garam masala. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended onion-pepper mixture back into the skillet or pot you used and heat on Medium until gently bubbling; add in meat, two pinches of salt, chopped cilantro, and another pinch of garam masala. Cook until meat has absorbed the liquid, 20-25 minutes.
- While meat cooks, toast the buns. Smear bottom buns with mayonnaise or yogurt. Spread meat over the top when it finishes cooking.
Smash the sandwich down to ensure everything sticks and doesn’t crumble. On a messy sandwich like this, the larger the size of the piece the easier it is to eat, so cut the sandwich in half or quarters and see if your child handle it; too many cuts and the sandwich will disintegrate. You can serve the meat over the rice.
For the grown-ups in the room, add some chile powder and mint to your meat before serving. We don’t recommend using poultry here, as the key to the taste and texture of the meat is for it to cook in its own fat; if you do want to use turkey or chicken, add a pat of butter with the meat when cooking.