Italian Sloppy Joes

Time :55

Yield :16 servings

Recipe Background

Mmmm, Italian Sloppy Joes! Could dinner get any more fun?! We don't think so. Get ready to have a blast as you bite into the thick and fluffy Italian bread slices housing the tomatoey, herby meat combo of juicy ground beef and spicy sausage. You might need a napkin or two, but that's what brings some childlike joy into eating these delicious handhelds! Cut lose and be carefree with some Italian Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1/2 cup onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
6 tablespoons butter melted
1 teaspoon garlic salt
16 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced
2 loaves Italian bread cut in half lengthwise

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large sauté pan, cook the ground beef, the sausage, the onion, and the garlic until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
Add the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, the oregano, the fennel, the Italian seasoning, the red pepper flakes, the sugar, the salt, and the pepper to the meat mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
Stir the parsley into the meat mixture.
In a small bowl, stir the butter and the garlic salt together.
Arrange 1/2 of the cheese slices on the bottom bread halves.
Divide the meat mixture between the two bread halves.
Top the meat with the remaining cheese slices and replace the bread tops.
Brush the bread tops with the garlic butter.
Wrap the loaves in foil and bake until the cheese has melted and the sandwiches are heated through, about 25-30 minutes.
Let the sandwiches cool slightly.
Slice and serve.