Meaty, umami-packed mushroom sloppy joes with oven-roasted, Parmesan-coated cauliflower.
Both plate-lickingly delicious and a breeze to prepare, sloppy joes are a dinner parents, kids, and kid-free adults like myself can get on board with. So, in my crusade to add mushrooms to all my childhood favorites, I would be remiss not to put my spin on this magnificent mess. In addition to the traditional ground beef, onion, garlic, and celery—with a bold tomatoey sauce—these mushroom sloppy joes have an extra hit of umami from sautéed creminis. A topping of goat cheese gives them a fresh, creamy finish, and big, buttery brioche buns contain the dripping succulence with style and poise. Any of the delectable bits that do escape from the buns are perfect for sopping up with the tender-crisp, oven-roasted, Parmesan-crusted cauliflower florets. If that doesn’t make you want to eat your veggies, I don’t know what will.
Any big brioche buns will work for this recipe, but I used my sourdough brioche and it made these mushroom sloppy joes irresistible. However, if you prefer a non-sourdough recipe, check out this one from Charlotte Rutledge on King Arthur Baking.
For more of mushroom-infused classics check out my Meatball Subs with Mushroom Sauce, Spaghetti and Meatballs with Mushrooms, Mushroom Meatloaf, and this entire collection of mushroom recipes.
Mushroom Sloppy Joes with Parmesan Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 lb (about 1 large or 2 small heads) cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive olive divided
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 rib celery
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 oz cremini mushrooms
- 8 oz ground beef 85 or 90% lean
- 1 15- oz can plain tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped
- 4 large brioche buns
- Butter or mayo for buns
- 4 oz chèvre goat cheese (optional) for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place cauliflower on a large sheet pan. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread out on sheet pan and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender and browned.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop onion and celery, and mince garlic. Chop mushrooms into small pieces.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add ground beef, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to the skillet and cook until beef is no longer pink and mushrooms are starting to brown, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and chipotle peppers. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4-6 minutes or until sauce is reduced and thickened (you can cook more or less depending on how sloppy you like your joes).
- Spread butter or mayo on buns and toast in the oven for a few minutes until warm and lightly toasted.
- Fill buns with sloppy joe filling. Crumble goat cheese on top of filling. Serve with roasted cauliflower.
