Sloppy Joe Pie

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that skillet dinners are my favorite. This one is a hybrid of a beef/cornbread pie from Martha Stewart and Classic Sloppy Joes from ATK. My kids loved it! I think they ate more in the scooped format than they would have if it was a sandwich. Best of both worlds.

Note: My grocery store grinds beef in-house, which is great. There are 2 options for fat content. For dishes like this, I feel like the 85% lean is too greasy, but the 93% lean is too dry. Sooo… I used 1 lb extra-lean and 1/2 lb regular. I think it was perfect.

• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1.5 lbs ground beef (see note, and go with your preference for fat content)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced (swap in a poblano for a little extra flair!)
• 10 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 6 Tbsp tomato paste
• 6 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 Tbsp water
• Salt and pepper

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
While you have the baking soda out, mix 1/2 tsp with 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Break the beef up into chunks and sprinkle the baking soda mixture plus 1/2 tsp salt over the beef, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425.
In cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp baking soda, this will help the onion soften quickly. (It will take on a bright yellow tint, too! Cooking is chemistry.) Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are tender and beginning to brown. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, sugar and paprika. Continue to cook until tomato paste darkens in color. Add beef and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire, and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a slurry with 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water. Stir into beef mixture. Turn heat to low while you make cornbread topping:
Stir sour cream into beaten egg, then add this mixture to the cornmeal mixture. Stir until just combined. Drop in spoonfuls over the beef filling. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cornbread biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.