Lasagna Joes have the creamy goodness of lasagna in a quick and delicious sloppy joe recipe.  They’re a quick and easy lunch or dinner your family will love.

I take my lunch.  Religiously.  There are almost always leftovers for me to pack for lunch the next day.  So, for me, a hot lunch is inevitable.  And who doesn’t love a hot lunch?

I know school is just around the corner for some people.  Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with that.  I don’t have kids.  But that does mean that the traffic and commuting pattern does change.  I know it sounds weird, but those are the patterns that affect me to the most when fall comes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sandwich, which sometimes nothing compares to a hot lunch.  A stroganoff, chili, or pasta can really make or break a busy day at work or school.  You’re sitting there with your email inbox just filling up, you’ve got meeting stacked back to back, and work is piling up like there’s no tomorrow.

Then, it’s lunch time.  You open that container and it’s steaming hot contents sends up this heavenly aroma.  The day melts away.  Your stress and work melt away.  There’s nothing in the world but you and your Thermos container of hot lasagna sloppy joes.

You grab the bun and make a sandwich.  You want the sauce to have time to penetrate the bun.  Today, there’s a bit of left over salad from the night before or you have some left over French fries.  The door is shut, you ignore the phone, and you take one bite and relish in the delicious lasagna flavor of these sloppy joes.

Lasagna Joes have rich Italian flavors.  They have that meat and cheese combination that I love in lasagna.  You could even bring along some more mozzarella shredded or sliced to get even more cheesy goodness.  This meat mixture could even be tossed with some hot pasta for a completely different kind of meal!  Just saying.

By now you’re reading the ingredients and scoffing at the Worcestershire sauce.  To me, it’s not a sloppy joe if it doesn’t have a little of that flavor in it.  It’s an ingredient that enhances the rest and I honestly cannot make sloppy joes without it.  If you haven’t tried Worcestershire sauce in your sloppy joes, you really should.  It’s the key to fabulous sloppy joes.

Just look at that rich goodness!!  Those chunks of meat, that creamy sauce.  You just know it’s going to a lunch you want to savor and not rush.  It’s a lunch you want to ignore the fact that you’re at work or at school and just relish in that lasagna goodness.

This is a brioche style hamburger bun.  I wouldn’t recommend your typical hamburger bun.  It will just disintegrate and you’ll wind up eating it with a fork.  Oh yeah!  Remember to bring a fork or a spoon to eat the filling that falls out.  You will want to clean your plate!!

And you might want to bring a napkin or a kitchen towel.  It’s gonna get messy.  Maybe a wetnap or something for when you’re finished eating to clean your hands.  Trust me.  It WILL get messy.  Deliciously messy!  You can tell by just looking at it!

What’s your favorite hot lunch recipe?

Lasagna Joes

Healthy and delcious ground turkey is the base for this lasagna based sandwich. Turkey Lasagna Joes has all the flavors of delicious lasanga in a quick and easy sandwich form.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound low fat, ground beef (96/4)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 14 ounces pureed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
• 4 whole sandwich rolls
• 4 boxes Easy Fries
• 4 whole lettuce wedges

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions. Saute 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms release their juices. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Crumble the ground turkey into the pan and brown. Return the vegetables to the pan.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and the Italian seasoning. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. Lightly toast the sandwich rolls. Top with two tablespoons ricotta theese.
5. Spread 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese on each of four sandwich rolls. Top with 1 cup of the meat mixture then 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Broil until the mozzarella is browned and bubble, about 1 to 2 minutes depending on your broiler.
8. Serve with a french fries and a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a dressing of your choice.