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Here's a fun twist on the popular Sloppy Joes. The beef mixture is sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and baked between layers of refrigerated French loaf dough. The warm, stringy cheese and crusty golden brown bread make this comfort food extra special.


1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread loaf
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese


Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet and large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. In sprayed skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Add tomato sauce, flour, basil, oregano and fennel seed; mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, remove dough from can; place on lightly floured surface. Cut loaf in half lengthwise. Roll each half to form 16 x 4-inch rectangle. Place 1 dough rectangle on sprayed cookie sheet, being careful not to change shape.

Stir 1/2 cup of the cheese into ground beef mixture. Spoon and spread mixture over dough rectangle on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining dough rectangle.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into slices.


Helena Crutcher - Hazel Green, Alabama
Bake-Off® Contest 40, 2002 Prize Winner
From "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off® Cookbook." Copyright 2004 General Mills. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.