Mondays are always the worst day of the week in our house.  It just seems to be hard to get the motivation going to start the week ahead.  I usually try to not schedule any appointments or meetings on Mondays because I just cannot get moving.  But, because our schedules are extra busy right now we had a dentist appointment and a private dance lesson scheduled.

I need a To-Go dish and fast!  I had to have dinner in the dishes by 4:00 pm so we could be heading out the door.  We would not be returning home until after 8:00 pm and the kids would be starving by then.  I try to do drive-thrus as little as possible so I needed something quick.

I started digging through the refrigerator and freezer to see what I could come up with.  Cooked ground beef, onions, peppers (just about to go bad) I am thinking soup or Philly Cheesesteaks!

I have made Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes in the past but what if I tried something similar in the slow cooker?  I didn’t want it as saucy or tomatoey (that is obviously not a word) but more savory than the Sloppy Joes.  Let’s see how this goes.

Verdict:

This turned out better than I imagined.  There was not a drop left in the slow cooker by the end of the night.  It was savory, cheesy and yummy!

I served this with a spinach salad on the other side of our to go dishes.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, lean (may be pre-cooked and frozen – just thaw before adding to slow cooker)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 medium peppers (I used one red, one yellow – but whatever you have on hand is fine), sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 1 TBSP corn starch
• 2 – 3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 8 oz. provolone cheese, shredded
• 6 good quality rolls

Directions:

1. If you beef is not pre-c0oked brown the ground beef breaking it up as it cooks with the back of a spoon.  Half way through cooking add the garlic to the pan.  Cook until beef is well browned.
2. Drain any remaining fat from pan and place ground beef in a large bowl.  If you have pre-cooked your beef add the garlic at this point.
3. Add the sliced peppers and onions to the bowl with the meat.  Sprinkle with the cornstarch and stir well to distribute the cornstarch over all the items in the bowl.
4. Spray the inside of the slow cooker bowl with non-stick spray.
5. Add the ground beef and pepper mixture to the slow cooker.
6. Pour the stock, salt, pepper and 2 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce over the meat.  Stir well.
7. Heat on low for 3-4 hours.  Stir well and taste.  Add more Worcestershire or salt as needed.
8. 15 minutes prior to serving, remove cover and place cheese over the top of the meat and peppers.  Cover and allow to continue to cook until cheese has melted.
9. Use a slotted spoon to serve on rolls.