Spicy Sausage Super Sloppy Joes

Phew! Try to say that 10 times fast. The sloppy joe is an American dish that originated in Key West, Florida. The name of the bar is Sloppy Joe's and it's still there today. Traditionally a sloppy joe consists of ground beef, onions, sweetened ketchup, and other spices. This is my little spin on the sloppy joe using spicy pork sausage.

Spicy Sloppy Joes
     serves 4

• 1 lb. spicy pork sausage
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• salt + pepper to taste

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Preheat a skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot enough add your sausage and use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break up the meat. Once the meat has browned, add the peppers, onion, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt + pepper, and grated garlic to the pan and sauté over high heat until veggies are tender. After veggies are soft, stir in the ketchup and mustard and sauté over medium heat until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. If you've made sloppy joes before you'll know when the meat mixture is ready. Serve on a whole wheat bun and enjoy!