Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches are a hearty sandwich that will fill even the hungriest fans on game day!

Let me take you back in time. Join me, won’t you?
I was in my early twenties and living in Florida.

Specifically, I was a new college graduate (Hail Mercer!) with a new job at the Orlando Sentinel. I had a new apartment in a new town.  Orlando might not have rolled out her red carpet for me, but my very cute boyfriend and his wonderful family certainly did! My apartment was not to far from them, which made the transition of being so far from home a little easier for me.

My culinary experiments were conducted in a very basic crock pot like this one, or in a skillet. (Nowdays, with a hectic life, I’m back to easy cooking!) OH…and if you need an easy cold appetizer, try my Classic Knorr® Spinach Dip Recipe! 

Psst: Need an easy, hearty appetizer for your Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches? You have to try my Hot Baked Onion Dip!  

The Story Behind Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches

Copa and I were dating and his parents would often invite us to join them at the beach when they secured a condo for a weekend.

Copa’s sister, Daphne, and I are the same age (even born the same week!) and became good friends. Her boyfriend was Don, and he & Copa were not only the same age but also had a mutual obesession  love of golf. Copa went through DOZENS of golf balls back then!

The four of us spent a lot of time together back then. We were in our early twenties, right out of college, figuring out life, and we were living in Orlando. So, when Copa’s parents invited the four of us to meet them for a beach weekend, we all had a blast!

We spent a lot of time in the kitchen on those weekends, and one of our favorite meals was a dish Daphne & Copa created called “our own Krystal burgers”. You know Copa’s favorite meal in the whole wide WORLD is a hamburger, right? Well, Daphne, Don & I love ’em too. So, they set out to recreate their own copy-cat version of the famous Krystal burger. Don and I sat back and monitored the Coors Light rations while they cooked.

Here’s the catch with our culinary explorations: we were young and on limited budget. Summer Shrimp Skewers were not on our radar back then…..

We made do with what we had…..bread, hamburger meat, an onion (if we were lucky) and cooking sherry.

Our bread of choice? Hot dog buns, of course! Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. No white cooking wine? No problem. Boone’s Farm Sherry worked just fine. The meat was browned, scattered, smothered and covered. 

Fast forward to 2016.

Copa and I are happily married. Daphne & Don are happily married. And, we all still live in…ORLANDO. 🙂 Our children are close cousins. Life is good.

But, some things never change.

One day, I found myself scurrying to make a hearty lunch for game day and was limited to what I had in the house. (Sure, I could have run to Winn Dixie. But it is HOT in Orlando in September, and I wanted to make do with what I had without jumping in a car that was 150 degrees.)

French bread. Hamburger meat. Fresh garlic. (Psst: Here’s my garlic press)

Guess what came to mind? A grown up version of “our own Krystal burgers”!

All About Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches

Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches are SO good. The blend of seasonings, white cooking wine and cheeses yield one heck of a sandwich. Hot. Hearty. Perfect.

• The flavor is not spicy at all, but rather rich and satisfying just like Restaurant Style White Chicken Enchiladas.
• One loaf of French bread will easily feed 4-6 depending on your slice size. From a frugality standpoint, Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches are still the bomb!

Take It To The Tailgate Tip:

Taverns can be made a few hours ahead of game time. Make as directed, wrap in tin foil, and refrigerate until your guests arrive. Then, cook as directed in a pre-heated oven.

Enjoy! Game on.

Hugs, Heather

SHOP THE TAILGATE

Loose Meat Tavern Sandwiches

This hot sandwich overflows with seasoned, creamy hamburger meat and wrapped in crusty French bread.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 Loaf French Bread
• 1 Pound ground beef
• 2 tbs butter
• 3.5 Ounces White cooking wine
• 3 Cloves garlic Minced
• 1 Tsp Onion powder
• 1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 10.75 Ounces Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
• Dash pepper
• 1/2 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded Shredded

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with butter. Season with white wine, garlic cloves, onion powder and dash of pepper until no longer pink. Drain and return to pan.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, condensed cheddar cheese soup, and cheese. Heat on low heat stirring continuously until cheese is melted. Cover and remove from heat.
• Slice French bread into fourths. Slice each fourth in half vertically.
• Fill each French bread sandwich with one quarter of the meat mixture.
• Spray exterior of each sandwich with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place each sandwich half on a piece of aluminum foil and wrap tightly. Put sandwiches on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Heat 10-15 minutes or until hot.

Put me in the game, Coach! Here are other yummy ideas….