I am always looking for new recipes that will be easy on a weeknight, great for a group, or just provide leftovers for The Guy. I am also always looking for vegetarian recipes of past favorites to cut way back on our meat consumption. Whatever your reason these make easy, fast amazing sloppy joes that I'm not sure your meat eater wouldn't love too.
Ingredients:
A splash of olive oil
1 small sweet onion (or any onion), diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
16 ounces extra firm tofu - we swear by Wildwood, but if your local market doesn't carry that just make sure that it is firm.
1/2 kosher or sea salt
3 cups barbecue sauce - see note about BBQ sauce below
Directions:
In a cast iron or other large skillet heat oil over medium. Add the onion, pepper and celery and saute until tender; around 5 minutes. Scoop into a bowl on the counter.
Add another splash of oil and crumble in your tofu and salt until the tofu turns brown. I just used my hands to crumble the block of tofu into what looked like ground beef sized pieces. Browning is relative and you don't want to burn it so just make sure it has some color and that you keep stirring it.
Add back the vegetables and the barbecue sauce. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Let this simmer on the stove-top for 20 minutes or so.
Scoop the Sloppy Tofu onto the buns - normally we eat gluten free bread, but let's get real and admit that gluten free buns are terrible. Splurge and get the good ones from Sarah Lee. Unless of course you are really gluten intolerant.
We topped the Sloppy Joe's with Hot Slaw, but you can purchase coleslaw or make any version of that you normally make. You also can not have it or substitute pickles. However you normally make your sloppy joes.
A note about barbecue sauce: I normally make my own because I'm that kind of gal, but I also know that when I am making a new recipe some things have to give so I had my husband purchase bottled barbecue sauce. He got two different kinds and they both taste fine, but he was shocked to see that the first ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. We don't eat that at all. We did for this because we were not going to waste it or stop dinner halfway through to make sauce (which is easy, but we were rushing). So, either make your own or really read the back of your barbecue sauce bottle. I am sure they make it without and that would be so much better for you.
Recipe adapted from Arkansas Democrat Gazette
