Vegetarian 'Sloppy' Joes

I don't recall a time in my life when I was ever served real sloppy joes. I'm sure that it happened at some point, but I didn't care very much for them and didn't make a point of remembering. There's something, well, kind of yucky about real sloppy joes — all that meat and sauce and sloppiness.

The complete opposite is true with these. These vegetarian 'sloppy' joes are so good, that even though I ate them for dinner on Sunday (and had leftovers yesterday) I'm still thinking about them. Just one roll is a serving, and even though they are so tasty that you'd like to eat another one, they are extremely filling so that you don't have to.

But the best thing about them? They're not actually sloppy at all.

VEGETARIAN 'SLOPPY' JOES (6 points per serving — 3 points for filling, 3 points for the roll)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 rolls (homemade or kaiser work very well)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic: saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in kidney beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.
3. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each kaiser roll; set aside. Hollow out the center of each roll, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells; reserve the inside of rolls for other uses.
4. Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls and replace tops. Serve immediately.

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 205
Total Fat: 3.9g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 580mg
Total Carbs: 35g
Dietary Fiber: 6.2g
Protein: 7.8g