Sometime late last year I had been in correspondence with a young lady who worked for Red Gold and Red Pack tomato products. She wondered if I would be interested in trying out some of their products, and could they send me some. I said yes, of course, because in all honesty, I really like Red Gold tomato products. Obviously, being a gardener, I prefer using my own tomatoes and tomato products, but when a bad tomato year comes along, canned tomatoes must be utilized in hundreds of different ways. One brand that I constantly reach for is the Red Gold brand. I was pleased with the sampler pack they sent and have been enjoying using them up in several different ways.
So when I was contacted again last week with a different sort of opportunity, I jumped on it, because any opportunity to find new ways to use Red Gold tomato products was a good opportunity in my book. And this time, there is a whole lot more fun involved.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have heard about a big football game happening this coming weekend. Well, a handful of bloggers in the Pittsburgh Steeler camp are facing off with a handful of us Green Bay Packer bloggers in Tomato Bowl 2011. The challenge is simple- how do you use Red Gold tomato products? We all know how serious us Packer fans are when it comes to football- but did you know that we are even more serious about the food we eat while cheering on our favorite football team? This week, for my participation in Tomato Bowl 2011, I’ll be using Red Gold tomato products in a myriad of ways which will all seek to enhance your Game Day celebrations this coming weekend. After a trip to the grocery store, I’m fully stocked with Red Gold tomatoes, and the challenge is underway. In a moment, I’ll share with you an incredibly easy recipe for Sloppy Meatball Hoagies, but first, the bloggers who will be sharing their own versions of tomato love this week:
My Teammates:
Mad Boastings Of A Cheapskate Mom
And the Competition:
As I thought about this friendly competition, and I thought about all these tomato products that I’d generously stocked my shelves with, I decided that it wasn’t enough to just open up a can of tomatoes and do whatever with it. I mean, really, one can add tomatoes to just about anything. And so I’ve upped the ante for myself- as any recipe developer worth their salt should- and I decided that I needed to create all new recipes that will highlight these delicious canned tomatoes. For my first recipe, I also really went outside of the box for myself and chose to utilize a product that I pretty much never use. Red Gold Sloppy Joe sauce can be found in the grocery store next to that “other brand” of sloppy joe sauce. I always, always, always make my own sloppy joe sauce, but when I saw that can on the shelf, I knew this was an opportunity to try a new product and put it to a whole new use.
And so I introduce to you, The Sloppy Meatball Hoagie. This is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing to share, but it also happens to be really delicious- as well as unexpected. When I eat meatballs on a roll, I almost always expect them to be drenched in tomato sauce and smothered with mozzarella cheese. These hoagies are reminiscent of a good old Sloppy Joe, but actually, much cleaner to eat.
You’ll need:
1 (14 ounce) can Red Gold Sloppy Joe Sauce
1 cup apple juice
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 pound package of frozen meatballs
Shredded Cheddar Cheese and hot dog rolls for serving
In the bowl of a 4 quart crock-pot, combine the Red Gold Sloppy Joe Sauce, apple juice and Dijon mustard. Whisk together until combined. Add your frozen meatballs and toss to coat. Add the lid and cook on high for 1 hour, and then 3 hours on low.
Serve the meatballs on split hot dog rolls and sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.
This will make between 12-16 sandwiches, depending on how many meatballs you put on a roll. We found that three to four meatballs fit comfortably on a smaller hot dog roll. Five or six would probably fit on a larger brat roll.
Delicious, comforting, and strangely familiar while still being different. This one is a winner with the whole family.
Isn’t this fun?!? I sure hope we win, (both games) and it’s nice to meet you, anne
Anne, it is fun! I’ve been in a cooking funk lately, and this is just what I needed to get out of it. It’s very nice to “meet” some local bloggers!
Yes, this is good, right in my messy and no fuss wheelhouse.
I’m coming up with new recipes too, but mostly because I don’t cook like I used to and am going for goods on hand (the blizzard and all) and the easiest thing possible.
I only found diced, crushed, and whole Red Gold tomatoes at the store, but already had a spicy can of diced tomatoes and used that.
Did you know your link is to your site, not your blog?