Bean 'n' Burger Pockets

This is from an old Taste of Home magazine. I was trying to plan some meals and decided to try a new recipe. Logan first turned his nose up at the idea of trying it. Paige actually tried it willingly (which helped Logan try it). And then she ended up eating 3/4 of a pita (I gave it to her 1/4 at a time). Logan liked it as well and said it was "hundreds and hundreds yummy." Bryn even said it tasted good. I need to make more pitas so we can have the leftovers today for supper. I realized that Bryce purchased a 15.25 oz can of navy beans, so I mixed up those beans with my own canned pints of kidney beans and great northern whites. Then I divided that mixture in half and froze half for later and used the other half in the recipe. I guess you could also just double the recipe and freeze the meat mixture so it's ready to go on another day. I also pureed my tomatoes and didn't have garlic, so I used garlic powder. I also didn't have any onions and savory so I just left them out. It was still a very yummy recipe.

1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon each dried thyme, savory, margoram, oregano, and parsley flakes
1 can (8.75 oz) navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8.75 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8.75 oz) lima beans, rinsed and drained
5 pita breads, halved
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef; drain. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, brown sugar and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans; heat through. Spoon about 1/2 cup into each pita half. Top with cheese if desired. Yield: 5 servings.