The next few months are going to be full of summertime recipes that easy, simple and fun to eat!

When I think about summer food it often involves food you can eat with your hands (which is always the best kind, right?). This recipe is no exception!

To kick off summer right we are having my 5 year old son’s favorite dinner which you can have on the table in under 20 minutes. Yep, just 20 minutes (including prep time) for an easy-peasy dinner that the whole family will love!

Sloppy Joe’s used to be one of my favorite dinners as a kid and when my son requested it I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t had it since I lived with my parents! That’s over 20+ years that I lost out on this family fun favorite dish. Well, it was definitely time to bring it back.

I didn’t want to take away the pure simplicity of this meal so I kept it to the basics; awesome flavored meat sauce, gluten-free buns and delicious shredded cheese. Pair this with some unsweetened applesauce and some green beans and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal with smiles written all over it.

All you need is 4 ingredients: lean ground beef, sloppy joe mix, shredded cheese and buns. Brown beef, add in mix until cooked well. Place bottom buns in pan, top with meat mixture, add shredded cheese and finish with the top bun. Pop in the oven at 350° for 5 minutes to toast everything and you’re done! Easy peasy. Now go relive your childhood and let me know if these take you back to your happy place.

Simple Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• gluten-free sloppy joe mix (we like Chili’s Sloppy Joe Sauce in Baby Back BBQ because it’s gluten-free and AMAZING)
• 1/2 cup shredded manchego (or your favorite hard cheese)
• 4-6 gluten-free buns, we like Kinnikinnick

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef over medium heat. Add in sloppy joe mix and continue to cook according to mix directions. While meat is cooking, place bottom buns in casserole dish. Scoop sloppy joe mixture onto each bun and top with shredded cheese. Once you’ve found the perfect mix to cheese ratio, place the other half of the bun on top and toast in oven for about 5 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes and serve with your favorite summer sides.