Cheesy Sloppy Joe’s

I love this cookbook from Weight Watchers.  I bought it at Half Price Books about a year ago, and all of the meals are easy and delicious. 
I only paid $7.98 for it, and it has paid for itself.  All of the recipes are healthy and my family loves eating them. 
The Cheesy Sloppy Joe’s have been the favorite, so I thought that I would share it with my readers.

They literally take 5 min. to make, and  I even had some leftover that I froze for another meal. This recipe can be found in the Weight Watchers’ cookbook. 130 recipes from scratch. 

I try to cook double the meal so that I can freeze the leftovers for the next week.  It really helps out in a pinch to just defrost, cook, and eat.

I know alot of people that set aside time to cook frozen meals, and I do that also, using my leftovers is another way.  This realy helps with the grocery budget. 

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen mixed veg.
1 can tomato paste
1 package sloppy joe seasoning mix
3 whole-wheat hamburger buns
6 slices fat-free cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over med. high heat.  Add the beef and cook until browned.  4-5 minutes, stirring with a spoon to break it up.  Discard any drippings.

2. Stir in the mixed vegetables.  1 1/3  cups water, the tomato paste, and seasoning mix:  bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring until thickened, about 10 min.

3.  Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.  Place the buns cut side up, on a broiler rack and broil 3 inches from the heat until toasted, 1-2 minutes.  Top each bun half with 1 slice of the cheese and broil until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute longer.  Spoon 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on top of each bun half and serve at once.

I personally made a few changes to accommodate my family.  First, I always have ground beef frozen in the freezer.  As soon as I get it from Sam’s club I bring home, cook it , then freeze.  That takes 5 min. off of my cooking time.
The other changes include the tomato paste and seasoning.  My kids do not like strong seasonings so I add garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder to my mix.  It works well for us.  Finally, I use my canned tomato juice to make my own tomato paste.   It is really easy and I know that it is completely homemade.

Facts about this meal:

Prep:  5 min.    Cook: 15 min     Calories:    207
   

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Cheers!