For a quick meal on a busy workday, Sloppy Joes can't be beat... What if you could have your own homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce on hand to mix with a pound of ground beef for a tasty, nutritious meal. And you know exactly what's in it! Sounds yummy and when a reader posted her recipe for Sloppy Joe Sauce I had to make it.
Here's what I did...
I cored and quartered
1 gallon of tomatoes
Then chopped...
2 cups celery
2 cups onions
1-1/2 cups bell peppers
I put all the vegetables into my big stainless steel stock pot and brought the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once it was boiling, I reduced the heat and boiled gently for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables were soft.
Then, working in small batches, I ran the mixture through a food mill...
I cooked this mixture down until it was reduced by half.
Then I added...
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 clove minced garlic
1Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. canning salt
1/2 cup vinegar (white or apple cider... I chose apple cider, I like the flavor!)
I brought the mixture back to a boil, then reduced the heat and boiled gently until it was the thickness I desired, (took about an hour) stirring frequently to keep from scorching.
In the meantime, I prepared my pint canning jars and lids... boiling the jars and keeping them hot until I was ready to use them... and keeping the lids simmering and hot until I was ready for them.
I filled the hot pint jars with the hot mixture, leaving a half inch headspace.
I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, then tightened the hot lids on to fingertip tightness.
I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (quarts would be processed for 35 minutes).
After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and, of course, to listen for the music of the PING! of each successfully sealed jar.
Yummy! Sloppy Joe night will taste better than ever!
I got 5 pints of sauce with this recipe.
For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.
