Sneak in some veggies with cabbage in this Sloppy Joe mix

In yesterday’s Easter-egg hunt one of the best places to hide eggs was in the bulb of the emerging cabbage plants in the garden. As I studied the cabbage rows, I dreamed of the day a few weeks from now when we’d be hauling our own cabbage crop into the kitchen for one of my absolute fave dishes, Cabbage Sloppy Joes.

Almost immediately after I began planning my most recent cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, I lined up Cabbage Sloppy Joes as one of my first recipes to include. Instructions involve adding finely shredded cabbage to some of the traditional sloppy joe ingredients. We sub ground turkey for ground beef. The addition of the cabbage plus a dab of brown sugar adds a sweet taste to the end-product.

In our most recent batch Hubby got the food-prep assignment since I wasn’t home from babysitting Grandmunchkin yet. He decided to put the cabbage through the food-processor to make it chop even more finely. When I arrived home and he had dinner on the table, I was shocked to realize it was Cabbage Sloppy Joes, because I didn’t recognize it without the decipherable shredded cabbage. He told me about his experiment of pulverizing the cabbage even more finely in the processor. Sure enough, same great flavor plus a smoother texture. He said next time he’d shred the onion, green pepper, and celery in the mix as well and add to the smooth consistency.

With hot summer evenings on their way, this meal represents a perfect way to avoid oven cooking and to stick with the stovetop to keep the kitchen cool. In case the idea of cabbage gets a yuk from family members, you can sneak some veggies down them by serving this delicious cover-up.

Cabbage Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup ketchup (we use the no-salt variety)

3 tablespoons brown sugar (or brown-sugar substitute)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

dash pepper

8 sandwich rolls, split

In a large skillet cook the ground beef (or turkey), cabbage, onion, celery, and green pepper over medium heat until meat no longer is pink and vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Spoon 1/2 cup onto each roll. Makes 8 servings.