Sloppy Joe Boule Bowl

I’ve always loved reimagining recipes – taking familiar flavors from our favorite dishes but serving them up in a brand new way. Our Sloppy Joe Boule Bowl does just that!

We start this recipe with our popular Sloppy Joes recipe. But rather than serving it on a roll as a sandwich, we carved out a cavity in a round bread boule, then spooned the ground beef inside and melted cheese over the top. The top and insides of the bread are cut into large cubes that toast up light and crispy while the boule heats through in the oven.

What is a Boule?

A boule is simply a round loaf of crusty bread. It’s pronounced as “bool” (like the word pool, but with a b) and it translates to “ball” in French.

While you can make a boule with any kind of bread recipe, we think the best are crusty on the outside, and light and airy on the inside, made from a similar dough as a classic French bread or baguette.

• Simply put – it’s delicious!
• Both kids and grownups love this easy, beef dish.
• This is a very versatile recipe. You can swap out our classic Sloppy Joes recipe for our Sloppy Tom – a ground turkey version, or our Smoky Joe – a zestier, ground beef version with smoky flavors thanks to smoked paprika in the sauce.

• Bread Boule – Buy crusty, dense one-pound round loaves for this recipe. As mentioned above – buy two or three depending on how you plan to serve this dish.
• Ground beef – Buy 80/20 ground beef for the best flavor. (Note that any excess rendered fat will be strained off after browning.)
• Vegetables – We included yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery, carrots and garlic in the mix.
• Tomato – Both tomato paste and diced canned tomatoes make up the sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce
• Beef Broth – Make a homemade beef broth if you’d like or buy canned or boxed.
• Seasonings – Kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, onion powder, dry mustard (we recommend Colman’s) and brown sugar.
• Cheese – You’ll use both sharp white cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese for the topping.
• Butter – Brushed on the bread cubes before baking to help them crisp up.

1. Sauté vegetables in olive oil.
2. Add ground beef and sauté until browned.
3. Place strainer over a large bowl, then pour in the beef to strain out cooking liquid.
4. Pour liquid into a fat separator. Discard fat but save the juices.
5. Place meat and vegetable mixture back into the pot, then add tomato paste and cook.
6. Add reserved beef juices, beef broth, canned tomatoes, seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Simmer for 45 minutes.
8. Carve out the bread boules (one or two as noted above) and cube the bread you remove.
9. Cut up the last bread boule into cubes.
10. Lay bread cubes on a foil lined sheet tray and drizzle on the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, tossing a few times during baking.
11. Bake hollowed out empty bread boules to harden the inside before filling.
12. If filling two bread boules, divide the Sloppy Joe mixture into both and top with the cheese. (If filling just one to be refilled later, spoon in half the Sloppy Joe mixture and top with half the cheese.)
13. Wrap foil around the bottom and sides of each bread boule, shiny side facing out and place on a rack that is sitting over a sheet pan.
14. Bake and serve with toasted bread cubes.

• Can I make Sloppy Joe Bread Boule Dip ahead of time?  You can make the Sloppy Joe, toast the bread and when ready, heat, fill, top with cheese and bake.
• How do I store leftovers?   Store refrigerated but keep bread separate. Store the boule refrigerated and the toasted bread sealed in a container at room temperature.
• How do I reheat leftovers? Heat in the microwave or in a saucepan.
• Can I freeze?  The Sloppy Joe will freeze nicely. Keep the toasted bread separate from the meat mixture, and that can be frozen as well.