School lunch and after school snacks just got so much yummier with these Sloppy Joe Bundles! A tender roll surrounds a cheesy-delicious sloppy joe meat mixture!
I’ve said before that all four of my kids are super picky! Which makes my job of meal planning and prep so much harder! I’m not kidding when I say my kids turn up their noses to about 50% of what I make! And I try my darndest to put scrumptious meals on the table. Some nights, my youngest daughter won’t even eat pizza!
It can be pretty discouraging at times when I make Hamburger Corn Casserole or Chicken Tetrazzini, both favorites of mine from my growing up days, and they complain and don’t want to eat it! Maybe you struggle with the same thing. My oldest daughter is eleven, so she’s at that age where she will at least finish her dinner, even if she’s not crazy about it. Thank goodness!
So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I made these Sloppy Joe Bundles and the kids gobbled them up! I was literally celebrating out loud! I may have even done the happy dance. 🙂
These are totally kid approved! And you know if my kids with their persnickety taste buds give these two thumbs up, any and all kids should be wild about them!
I made my favorite homemade sloppy joe mixture, then placed a tablespoon or so of it in the center of a thawed, flattened Rhodes roll. I love using the frozen rolls, because if makes this so easy! Then, I added a little cheddar cheese and pinched the roll closed. Lastly, I brushed them with some melted butter, then sprinkled with Italian seasoning and grated parmesan.
They bake up to perfection! Getting to that incredible center is like finding the long-lost buried treasure!
The melty cheese combined with the yummy meat mixture and tender rolls is nothing short of magnificent!
Since I’m always looking for ways to switch up my kids’ lunches that they bring to school, I love it when I find easy and fool-proof ideas like this that I know they won’t dump into the trash while I’m not there to see. 🙂
Sloppy Joe Bundles
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. red onion very finely diced
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 c. finely-minced carrots
- 1 stalk celery finely minced
- 1/4 green bell pepper finely diced
- ½ jalapeno seeds and membranes removed, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/8 c. ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
- 4 oz. tomato sauce
- 1/8 c. tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- About 24 Frozen roll dough balls thawed, but not risen a lot
- 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese shredded
- Topping:
- 6 Tbsp. butter melted
- Italian seasoning for sprinkling
- Grated parmesan for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large skillet, saute red onion, minced garlic, minced carrots, celery, green bell pepper, and jalapeno in 1 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add ground beef. Salt and pepper and break it up while it’s cooking. After it’s completely cooked and no longer pink, drain grease if necessary, then add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and cook for ½ hr. over medium heat, stirring regularly.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Press each of the thawed roll dough balls down with the palm of your hand. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of the sloppy joe mixture into the center of each, then sprinkle with a pinch of cheddar cheese. Pinch dough ball together around the filling mixture and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown and thoroughly baked throughout. Enjoy immediately.
This is also a perfect dinner idea for those nights when your energy is wearing thin and you don’t want to deal with the kids’ complaints of not liking what’s being served. 🙂 My kids are all smiles when Sloppy Joe Bundles are on the menu!
Chelsea Johnson says