Sloppy Joe Meat Pie

So Allen and I have been compiling a list of "Delicious Meals" and this is one of the easy ones that Allen loves. 

I got the idea from a book I love. "Fix it & Freeze it & Heat it & Eat it" Its a Southern Living book and so far has had some really tasty and east recipes. 

Pretty much you want to fix your favorite sloppy joe recipe (the one in the book is delicious) and put it into a baking dish. I top it with a sprinkling of cheese then spread mashed potatoes on top. My Mama introduced us to refrigerated mashed potatoes, and we discovered there are lots of flavor options...because its sloppy joes, I got the jalapeno version and used that. You can also whip up your own mashed potatoes if you like, or have the time. I like to think of this recipe as semi-homemade (You know that show from the Food Network...is it still on?) Sprinkle some cheese on top of the potatoes and you're done!

Bake at 350 for 25ish minutes....just give the cheese time to melt and begin to brown and you've got dinner! (Allen turned on the broiler for a few minutes to crisp and brown the cheese in this picture.)

Directions:

1. Cook sloppy joe recipe of choice.
2. Put in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle cheese to cover sloppy joe meat mixture.
4. Spread mashed potatoes over meat and cheese.
5. Sprinkle more cheese on top.
6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

For variations we have browned hamburger meat then added onions and peppers and cooked until softened instead of using sloppy joe mix. You can then season the meat however you like...we have used taco seasoning and it turned out pretty well... get creative with that you like to eat and season the meat however you like, then follow the rest of the recipe to finish up.

Now...about freezing... If you fix a double batch while you're making dinner you can split the meat mixture half, and put the half you want to freeze into an aluminum throw away dish. You can prepare as usual and freeze one dish for later. I was able to make enough sloppy joes meat mixture for sandwiches one night, and 2 meat pies to freeze for later. I used 3lbs of meat...a lot I know, but wait until Publix has a sale and make this recipe.

Great for new moms and an easy freezer meal to gift to the new mom too!