Foodie Friday: Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole

I know, I seem to be on a bit of a sloppy joe kick right now. But this recipe turned out to be pretty good! I like that you make your own sauce, rather than adding in a can full of preservatives & additives.

Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole

yield: 6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb 95% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning (I used the reduced sodium kind)
8 oz white mushrooms, minced (I used a food processor)
1 medium carrot, minced (I used a food processor)
1 medium onion, minced (I used a food processor)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used a food processor)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
15 oz can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (11 oz) can of refrigerated pizza crust dough (such as Pillsbury thin crust)
1 cup shredded 2% Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Bring a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Break the ground beef up with a spoon or spatula while cooking. Sprinkle with steak seasoning and continue to cook until beef is browned. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, garlic, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and stir together. Cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Unroll your pizza dough and lay it in your prepared baking dish. Push the dough down across the dish and up the sides. Pour the meat mixture from your skillet into the pizza dough. Place in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese over the top. Place the casserole back in the oven and cook for 5 additional minutes or until cheese is melted and pizza crust is browned.


Lioness notes: If you want to sneak some extra veggies in, add a stick of celery and/or a small bell pepper, run through the food processor until finely chopped. If I make this for my parents, I'll probably leave the mushrooms out to appease my dad and add the extra veg.