#1,312: Veggie Loaded Sloppy Joes

As you can tell by the many sloppy joe recipes I post, this is a meal/main dish that I enjoy making and eating.  As a family we have two favorite versions that we gravitate towards often (Diet Coke Sloppy joes and Myrtyle's Sloppy Joes), but this one might be my new favorite one.  I say that with 100% certainty that my family will not touch this recipe/meal.  I however am loving eating this over zucchini noodles instead of on a hamburger bun or roll (which would be good too).  I loved this one!!  

1kg mince (ground beef) (I used 1 lb ground turkey)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 large leeks, washed and finely chopped (I omitted)

3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery spears, finely chopped

250g mushrooms, finely chopped (I used about 4 small baby portobello mushrooms)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and cloves

2 tsp paprika

2 tins chopped tomatoes (I used about 15 cherry tomatoes from my garden)

1 tbsp tomato paste (I used more like 2 1/2 tbsp)

1 1/2 cans of beef stock 

2 tsp sugar (I omitted)

salt and pepper to taste

To serve (I omitted)

Fresh bread rolls, toasted

grated cheese

Fry the mince (ground beef or turkey) in a large, hot pot until browned all over. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, fry the onion, leeks, carrots and celery until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes before adding the spices and tomatoes and tomato paste.

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes before adding the mince back into the pot with the beef stock and sugar.

Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes covered.

If the sauce looks very watery, remove the lid from the pot and turn up the heat. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes uncovered until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season to taste.

Serve the mince on the toasted bread rolls with some grated cheese.