i’m a sucker for nostalgic food.
and sloppy joes is one of ‘em.
growing up, whenever it was dads night to cook, i would scurry with joy into the kitchen as he mixed up one of our favorites – sloppy joes!
he would start the mix with a good ‘ol can of manwich, add in some of his super secret dad ingredients + plate it up extra sloppy with an overflowing pile of ruffled potato chips.
needless to say, i always left the dinner table with a full belly + a big smile on my face.
after my culinary fire was lit, family favorites were the first recipes i would cook up.
and when it came to trying to recreate dads sloppy joes, i took baby steps in adding flavors to the manwich until the day came when i completely omitted the can + let my homemade mix stand on its own! while i may never know the secret ingredients dad would use, i just know he would be proud of my sassy spin on sloppy joes!
…and that sassy sauce is taking a ride in a different car – we’re plating it up in stuffed pepper form. a zesty bell pepper hotrod if you will.
in addition to removing the bun, i’ve also lightened it up a bit by using ground chicken in place of traditional ground beef. the ground chicken is awesome because it’s flavor is naturally much milder therefore it really lets the homemade sloppy joe sauce shine.
and as for those ruffled potato chips… since i can’t be trusted with an at-will handful on the side, making a panko-potato chip crust hits the spot while making a little less hit on the hips!
i also snuck in a crafty cooking shortcut in this recipe.
we’re shortening your cook time by using every college students best friend – the microwave! by covering the halved peppers in plastic wrap + microwaving them, you get a jump start on softening the pesky bell pepper skin. this will ensure that with the warm months upon us, you’re using your oven for as short of a time as possible!
as most stuffed peppers, tomato-based sauces + general casserole goodies go, these peppers are even better for leftovers.
you heard it here first, kids. i just suggested that you eat something as a leftover!
so, with that being said, whip these up on a sunday evening or monday night so you can enjoy the leftover halves for workday + weekday lunches. you’ll be the envy of the office lunchroom when you nuke ‘em up for only a minute + dive in fork first to fresh-tasting flavors!
- 3 large bell peppers, cut in half - from top to bottom!
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded + diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chilies in adobo
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste {see note below!}
- ½ cup ruffled potato chips, crushed
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- preheat the oven to 375
- in a microwave-safe + oven-proof dish, place your bell pepper halves - cut side up. cover tightly with plastic wrap. microwave for 5 minutes.
- meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the ground chicken, onion, jalapeno + garlic until the all the liquid has boiled off.
- turn the heat down to low + add the spices, stirring to combine.
- stir in the remaining ingredients, stir to combine. cook, letting the flavors marry for 5 minutes.
- remove the plastic wrap from your peppers + divide the sloppy joe mixture among the peppers.
- bake for 25 minutes.
- while the peppers are baking, mix together your panko + potato chips.
- when the peppers have finished cooking for 25 minutes, top each pepper with the panko-potato chip mixture + broil for 3 minutes on high to brown.
- remove from the oven, plate your peppers + enjoy!
no microwave? no problem! simply just skip the microwave step + up your oven bake time to 45 minutes.
the ketchup in the ingredient list adds a pretty big sugar hit. if you would like to swap this out you could substitute an 8oz can of low-sodium tomato sauce. another calorie drop would be to omit the panko-potato chip crust.. but treat yourself to two halves because YOLO.
i swear by the whole foods store brand, 365 everyday value, for my tomato paste. the product conviently comes in a tube so you can use whatever amount is needed + cap it back up in the fridge so none gets wasted! if you cannot find a double concentrated tube then i would double the tomato paste to 2 tablespoons!
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