Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Sloppy Cubanos

One of my favorite things about Rachael Ray is her ability to take a classic dish and make it in a completely new way. She seems particularly fond of reinventing the classics into macaroni and cheese or sloppy joes, and my list of these types of her recipes that I want to try is about a mile long. When I stumbled across her recipe for sloppy Cubanos, I had to make them immediately. The traditional Cuban sandwich is one of our very favorites, so I was eager to see how it would taste in sloppy joe form.

These were delicious! They really did echo all the flavors of a traditional Cuban. I made some modifications (because I always make modifications), and I was very happy with the end result. I’ll definitely make these again. I only had shredded Swiss cheese on hand, but I’ll definitely use the slices next time. And the pickles are a must – don’t skip them!

For more great Rachael Ray recipes, be sure to check out Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray!

Sloppy Cubanos
adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced ham
1 pound ground pork
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon allspice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Grated peel and juice of 1 lime
1 cup chicken broth
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
4 rolls, split
4 deli slices Swiss cheese
3 to 4 large dill or half-sour pickles, chopped

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Stir in the ham, onion, garlic, paprika, coriander and allspice; season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lime peel and lime juice and mix well; stir in the chicken broth, tomato sauce and mustard and simmer for a couple of minutes.

4. Lightly toast the rolls under the broiler. Pile the meat mixture onto the roll bottoms. Cover with the Swiss cheese and broil until melted, about 30 seconds. Scatter the pickles on the sandwiches and cover with the roll tops.