My Kids Have Been Requesting These Sloppy Joe’s Nonstop.
Here’s the thing – it’s humble, it’s non-fancy, but my husband and my kids are so happy when I make this for dinner.
I tried making Sloppy Joe’s several ways this summer, since my daughter kept asking for them. But with every batch I made, she always kindly let me know that they were still “not as good as the ones at school.”
Lucky for me, I know the people who do the food service at their school. I reached out to Danielle and asked her for their Sloppy Joe’s intel, which is how I ended up with this very simple “recipe”:
- ground beef
- onion powder and garlic powder
- beef bouillon base
- ketchup
- BBQ sauce
It’s rich, and meaty, and easy, and just so very family-friendly.
Bjork and I like ours topped with pickled jalapenos or crispy onions, and the girls, of course, like them “plain” on a squishy white bun with a big pile of ranch potatoes on the side.
Regarding diced onion, pepper, or garlic: this recipe has none. I can definitely appreciate a Sloppy Joe made with fresh vegetables, but my truth is that everyone I cook for enjoys these the same (or even more?) with just a few hits of garlic and onion powder instead, which makes this whole thing even faster and easier.
My youngest requested this as her birthday meal this year. Hope you like them. 🙂
How To Make Sloppy Joe’s (Step-By-Step!)
1
Brown the Ground Beef.
Leave it sitting undisturbed for a few minutes so that it develops a nice golden crust.
2
Add… Everything Else.
Garlic powder, onion powder, beef bouillon, ketchup, and BBQ sauce!
3
Let It Get Saucy.
Add some water as needed to make the mixture loosen up and turn a bit glossy.
4
Serve It Up!
Load it onto a soft bun – we love this with ranch potatoes and green beans!
Sloppy Joe’s
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Easy, saucy, delicious Sloppy Joe’s! My kids’ favorite dinner. Super simple to make with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients
Sloppy Joe Beef Mixture
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 lbs ground beef (85/15)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon beef base (optional, gives it a richer flavor – if you skip it, you’ll want to add salt to taste)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup water (more as needed)
For Serving
- Hamburger buns
- Pickles or lettuce, if you want
Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the ground beef, leaving undisturbed for a while to get extra browned bits. Cook until no longer pink and break it apart into very small pieces with a spatula.
- Reduce Oil in the Pan: If you want to reduce the oil, tip the pan to the side to absorb some of the oil with a paper towel (this is optional).
- Add Spices: Add onion powder, garlic powder, bouillon base, and salt; stir to incorporate.
- Add Sauces: Add ketchup and BBQ sauce; stir to coat everything. Add water a little bit at a time until it becomes a thick, glossy, meaty sauce. Bring to a low simmer and so it’s nice and bubbly and warm.
- Optional Simmer: The meat mixture is ready to go right away. But if you don’t need to serve it right away, I like to let it simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours, or place in a slow cooker on low for 2-4 hours. The color will deepen and the sauce will concentrate and caramelize a bit around the edges.
- Serve: Serve Sloppy Joe mixture on softened burger buns! We recently topped ours with pickled jalapenos and it was delicious.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sloppy joe’s, sloppy joe sandwiches, easy dinner, kid-friendly dinner
