Sloppy Joe’s with Ranch Potatoes

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 several of the wonderful people who do the food service at their school. I was able to get some school recipe 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!