Vegetable Soup Sloppy Joe Pockets are the clean version of the classic. I know it sounds like a unicorn. First of all, aren’t sloppy joes suppose to be messy? But really does anyone like that part? For me, I want to get every last bit into my mouth and not on the plate. Secondly, vegetable soup, the one with noodles, that can’t be right. Oh, my friends, it is SO right! These are the first sloppy joes I ever ate and I can’t wait to share them with you.
My mom doesn’t remember even making these, but I know she did. I remember as a kid, thinking how cool was it to find a noodle letter in the middle of my sloppy joes. A total nod to nostalgia. This whole meal screams childhood to me. Comfort food from my mom’s kitchen, even if it was a fluke and perhaps the only soup she had on hand was vegetable soup and that’s how they came to be. I don’t care, the flavours are delicious!
My dad offered his wisdom the last time we chatted about sloppy joes and told me about how my brother came up with a genius idea to keep those hands clean and not waste a bit of that tasty beef filling. Are you ready for unsloppy joes?
So, get this, it seems like such an easy hack, you’ll wonder why you didn’t come up with it yourself. I did! So, my brother pokes a hole in the side of an uncut bun and then flattens out the insides. So you essentially have a pocket in your bun, which he then fills with the sloppy joe mix. See, what I mean, you’re totally thinking why didn’t I come up with this, right?
Can it be possible, that he just classy-ed up a sloppy joe? But does that mean it’s no longer a sloppy joe? I don’t think so. It’s now just a tidier version of the classic and what mom, wouldn’t appreciate that? The kids might miss the mess, but the taste of these will make up for any missing fun at the dinner table.
They’re my favourite version of sloppy joes, and I love the extra veggies in the soup. Of course, a bit of ketchup and mustard and a touch of Worcestershire sauce kicks up the flavour. And the noodles are a totally fun and unexpected addition. These really are a fun treat for the kids, but the adults will love them just as much!
How to make Vegetable Soup Sloppy Joe Pockets
Fry the ground beef and onions until the beef is cooked through and the onions are soft. Mix in the vegetable soup, don’t be alarmed if the noodles fall apart as you stir in the soup, you’ll likely come across a few that keep their shape. Then stir in the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Let this all simmer for 15 minutes.
While the meat mixture is simmering, get the buns ready for filling. With your index finger poke a hole in the side of a bun or use a knife and create a hole, but don’t cut through the other side of the bun. Rotate the bun while pressing down the insides, essentially creating a pocket. Using your finger is the easiest way. I do this for my whole family, but you know, if you’re serving these for friends or extended family, maybe let them poke their own buns. haha
Now if you like your sloppy joes with a bit of cheese, go ahead and stuff some into the pocket first. Then fill it halfway with the sloppy joe mixture, stuff in a bit more cheese, add enough meat mix to fill the pocket, and add one more sprinkling of cheese over the open pocket.
There you have it an unsloppy joe full of flavour and surprise pasta. Easy enough to whip together on a weeknight, and a hand-held dish that everyone will fall in love with, guaranteed!
If you love Curry Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells, check out these other delicious recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot!
If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!
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Vegetable Soup Sloppy Joe Pockets
A blast from the past, but always a delicious dinner. Vegetable Soup Sloppy Joe Pockets, uses vegetable soup mixed with classic sloppy joe ingredients and then stuffed inside a bun, keeping these nice and clean. Unsloppy joes for the win!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 10.5 oz. can condensed vegetable soup
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- pepper to taste
- 4 buns, uncut
- 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
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Brown the ground beef until fully cooked. Stir in the onions and cook until softened.
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Mix in the vegetable soup, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Let this simmer for 15 minutes.
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While that sloppy joe mixture is simmering. Prepare the buns. Using your finger poke a hole on one side of the uncut bun. Flatten the insides, creating a pocket.
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If using cheese, stuff a little amount into the bun, then spoon in enough sloppy joe mixture to fill the bun halfway, add another bit of cheese and fill the remaining half with more sloppy joe mixture. Repeat for the other three buns.
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Serve immediately.