Slow Cooker Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

I’ve signed up for a 31-day writing challenge. Every day in October, I post a new slow cooker recipe, a link to a previously posted slow cooker recipe, or a recipe from another blog.

My family loves simple meals like sandwiches. These sloppy Joes are an easy meal to put together, especially if you bulk-cook the hamburger and use frozen peppers and onions.

Hubby enjoyed his sandwich. The boys balked at it because of the onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Wee One refused to try it, while the Imaginative One took out the onions, peppers, and onions. I loved it, but then again, I love cheese steaks!

So who and where did the cheese steak begin? I looked on the Internet and found the history of the first cheese steak, even though there was no cheese on the first sandwich.

1930s – During the 1930s in the Italian immigrant section of South Philadelphia, brothers Harry Olivieri (1916-2006) and Pat Olivieri sold hot dogs and sandwiches. Tired of hot dogs, Pat suggested that Harry go to a store and buy some beef. Harry brought it back, sliced it up and grilled the beef with some onions. The brothers piled the meat on rolls and were about to dig in when a cab driver arrived for lunch, smelled the meat and onions and demanded one of the sandwiches. Pat never got a bite because a cab driver drove by, smelled the sandwich, and asked how much? He didn’t know what to charge, so he charged a nickel. The cab driver supposedly said,  “Hey . . . forget about those hot dogs, you should sell these.” It was not until 20 years later that cheese was added to the sandwich by a longtime employee, Joe Lorenzo, who was tired of the usual sandwich and added some cheese.

From What’s Cooking America  (Click on link for more information about the cheese steak.)

Slow Cooker Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

adapted from Spend with Pennies

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced, or 2 c. frozen pepper and onion mix
• 1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms or a small can of mushrooms, drained (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Provolone cheese or American cheese, slices

Steps:

1. In a skillet, brown the ground beef or bulk cook the hamburger in the slow cooker. Drain the fat off.
2. Place the ground beef, garlic, black pepper, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms in the slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle flour over the ground beef and veggies. Toss to coat the meat and veggies.
4. Pour the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over the meat and veggies.
5. Cook for 5 hours on low.
6. Enjoy on a bun with your favorite cheese.

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Happy eating,
Traci