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’ve been on a JOURNEY with these. 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 (and all of us), 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.
I always always make these with what we call Ranch Potatoes, which are the truly the delight of my life. In our house, it’s not Sloppy Joe’s if there’s no pile of crispy, buttery Ranch Potatoes on the side. 🙂
Regarding diced onion, pepper, or garlic in the Sloppy Joe filling: this recipe has none. Everyone I cook for enjoys these the same (or even more?) with an uncluttered texture and 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 it as much as we do!
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. It can just hang out until you’re ready to eat.
4
Ranch Potatoes
When you’re close to eating, pop your potatoes in the oven.
5
Ranch Them!
Once they’re roasty toasty, add a knob of butter and some ranch seasoning. Toss to combine. (If you don’t have ranch seasoning, just use melted butter, fresh garlic, and dill. UNREAL.)
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. We love these with Ranch Potatoes!
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)
Ranch Potatoes:
- 1 24–ounce bag baby gold potatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning (hard to beat good ol’ Hidden Valley)
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 few minutes to get extra browned bits. Cook until no longer pink; break it apart into very small pieces with a spatula. Optional: tip the pan and use a paper towel to absorb a bit of the oil (I do it once or twice to just reduce oil slightly).
- 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 until it deepens a bit in color and starts to caramelized around the edges.
- Potatoes: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a sheet pan; toss with avocado oil and a tiny pinch of salt. Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring them once or twice, until lightly golden on the outside and tender on the inside. (The Sloppy Joe mixture can just keep simmering over low during this time.)
- Make Them Ranchy: Remove potatoes from the oven. Add butter to the sheet pan; toss with the potatoes so the butter melts. Add ranch seasoning and toss one more time to coat. Yum.
- Serve: Serve Sloppy Joe mixture on softened burger buns! We top ours with pickled jalapenos. Serve with a scoop of ranch potatoes.
Notes
The meat mixture is ready to go right after you add the ketchup and BBQ sauce, but I usually like to let it simmer for 30-60 minutes to really caramelize around the edges and deepen in both flavor and color. That’s why I do the potatoes after the meat!
- 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
