Sloppy Joe inspired Halloween Burgers - HAPPY HALLOWEEN

It's Halloween and I looked in Pinterest for nice Halloween themed dishes. Most of them were some kind of candy or appetizers but then I saw Halloween Burgers. I did not want to make a real burger, but the idea of the carved cheese also workes with Sloppy Joe Burgers. A few years ago, we made similar burgers out of a leftover dish. It was not exactly sloppy joes, but it was a ground beef rice dish, that we spread on burger buns, sprinkled with cheese and baked. It was just a leftover dish but it tasted delicious. I wanted to recreate this dish - Halloween themed.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper - diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves - minced)
• 1/2 cup ketchup (or tomato sauce)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup water
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, hot sauce to taste

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper - diced
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper - diced
• 125 g uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup corn
• 2 cups water

• 4 slices cheese (preferably cheddar)
• 4 burger buns (sesame)

 One possible substitute mix for Worcestershire sauce:

• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• pinch of cloves
• dash of hot sauce

Preparation:

1. Prepare original sloppy joes: Heat the oil and add the onion. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the ground beef. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add the green bell pepper and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic powder, ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, water and salt/pepper/cayenne/hot sauce to taste. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes. I actually did not have Worcestershire sauce at home, so I tried a substitute. It's not exactly the same, but taste similar enough. You just need some tamarind paste, soy sauce, white vinegar, cloves and hot sauce.
2. Make it a little unique: Well, I do like to get a little crazy sometimes and add lots of ingredients. So, I also added a few more extras to my sloppy joe mix. I added more bell pepper, uncooked rice and some corn. Add also a little bit more water. Stir and let cook for about 15-20 minutes, till the rice is soft enough and the liquid absorbed.
3. Carve the cheese: Lay out the cheese slices and cut some scary faces out, like with a pumpkin.
4. Assemble and Bake the burgers: Now, place the bottom parts of the burger buns on a baking pan. Spread about 3 tablespoons of sloppy sloe filling on each bottom bun and add a slice of cheese on each. Place them in the preheated oven (210 degree Fahrenheit) for about 4 minutes, the cheese just needs to melt a tiny little bit. Take them out and serve with the top bun. Enjoy :)

Original Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes with some extra ingredients

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