I love to try Rachael Ray recipes. They may not always be gourmet or fancy but I have never claimed to be either of those things. She creates simple, accessible and yummy recipes that are usually relatively healthy. You can’t beat that. These buffalo sloppy joes were not an exception.

The addition of carrot, celery and onion sneaks in veggies for picky kids (or husbands in my case) without them noticing. I have a hard time finding ground chicken in my grocery store so I substituted ground turkey which was totally delicious.

I found the sauce to be a little runny so I simmered the final product for about 10 minutes and it thickened up nicely. They were still very drippy and messy so make sure you have plenty of napkins handy.

I found that 1/4 cup of hot pepper sauce was just right for us but if you like your food with a big kick increase the amount. Joel and I aren’t fans of blue cheese so we topped ours with a drizzle of ranch, pickles and melted provolone. This is definitely a quick and easy meal that has become a new favorite in our home!

Buffalo Sloppy Joes
recipe from Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
1 cup blue cheese crumbles or provolone slices
2 large dill pickles, chopped
Ranch

1. Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more.

2. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more (I simmered for about 10 minutes). Pile sloppy buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.