Nowadays there are hundreds of convenience foods on the market ready to make it easier for us to cook quick meals. Fortunately, some of them are actually pretty good (there are also some that would be considered horrific food crimes, but they won’t be discussed here), and it’s always a good idea to have our favorites ready to use in our freezers, fridges, and on our pantry shelves. Kari Coates, a friend who owns her own business and has a family to feed every day, often finds herself with time constraints, and a need to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. One day, while craving sloppy Joes, she came up with the following Kari’s Knife and Fork Sloppy Joes, and they turned out so tasty, that the old fashioned sloppy Joe’s will forever more be just a memory.

Almost everyone has a can of sloppy Joe sauce on their pantry shelf, and most have a pound of ground beef in their freezer (or even faster, a package of cooked ground beef from the Basic Ground Beef Module), as well as shredded cheese. Because the frozen Texas toast is easy and is a perfect accompaniment to dozens of main dishes and salads, it is also a popular item to keep in the freezer. This recipe calls for the 5 Cheese Garlic version (the cheese on top prevents the toast from getting soggy); chances are you may already have what is necessary for these quick yummy sandwiches and won’t have to stop at the grocery store.

8 Servings

1 pound ground beef
1 15 oz. can sloppy Joe sauce

8 slices frozen 5 cheese garlic Texas toast

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. While the oven is heating, Brown the ground beef, drain off any fat, and stir in the sloppy Joe sauce.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring, until heated through.
4. Place the Texas toast on a baking sheet and bake until very crisp, 7 to 9 minutes; remove from the oven.
5. Divide the sloppy Joe mixture over the toast slices; sprinkle with cheese.
6. Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 460 Calories from Fat 238
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 52% Protein 24% Carb. 24%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 26 g
Saturated Fat 12 g
Cholesterol 83 mg
Sodium 917 mg
Total Carbohydrate 28 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 5 g
Protein 28 g

Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 8%