Pizza Joes

I love trying new twists on sloppy joes. I mean, the original is pretty unbeatable, but every once and a while it's nice to change it up and do something more creative. When I saw this recipe for pizza joes, I knew I had to give it a shot.

This is a simple, yummy, and family-friendly dinner option. These pizza joes taste like spaghetti and meatballs, except, you know, without the spaghetti and the, um, balls. (Donna, I know you're going to have something to say about that.) I made them a little bit more special by treating the buns as though they were garlic bread, which added a lot of flavor. Even Andrew, who is a vegetarian right now more often than not, ate some of the meat and enjoyed it. I served these pizza joes with store-bought mozzarella sticks for a quick weeknight dinner.

Pizza Joes
source: adapted from Tried and True Cooking with Heidi

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

1 14-ounce jar pizza sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup chopped pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Hamburger buns, split and toasted (turn 'em into garlic bread using this method)

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are softened. Add pizza sauce, spices, and chopped pepperoni. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

2. Cook on medium and heat just until heated through. Pile meat on prepared hamburger buns and top with shredded cheese.