Elevate your Sloppy Joe game with this delicious and easy casserole recipe. Packed with all the traditional flavors, this tasty meal will surely be a hit with the whole family. Perfect for a cozy night in or for game day snacks.
These are always a huge hit with friends and family. I love to serve this Sloppy Joe Casserole with potato wedges and roasted corn.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Ground beef: for the best flavor, use ground beef with some fat, like ground chuck or 85/15, which is 85% lean and 15% fat. Fat gives the beef flavor.
- Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar, but you can use white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
- Mustard: yellow mustard is my go-to, but you can use Dijon or spicy yellow.
- Ketchup: I use organic as I think it tastes better, but you can use any ketchup
- BBQ sauce: use your favorite brand. I like to use a hickory or spicy sweet sauce.
- Steak seasoning: store-bought or find ideas for homemade steak seasoning
How to Make Sloppy Joe Casserole
Start by browning your ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until the veggies are soft and the ground beef is no longer pink. Carefully drain any excess fat. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tomato paste, ketchup, barbecue sauce, beef broth, and chili powder. Simmer the meat mixture for about 20 minutes over low heat. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Cut the slider buns in half without separating them. Toast the buns cut-side up on a baking sheet under the broiler. Add the toasted bottom buns to a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Spoon the sloppy joe mixture over the buns. Place the toasted top buns over the mixture.
Brush them with butter and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the buns are toasted golden brown; for best results, serve promptly.
Preparation Tips
- Prepare the sloppy joe mixture up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove it 40 minutes before toasting the buns to bring it to room temperature.
- This casserole is best served promptly. If there is some delay, do not toast the buns and layer them with the sloppy joe mixture about ten minutes before serving.
- This recipe gives you the best of both worlds, with a soft bun on the bottom soaking up the juices of the sloppy joe and a crispy bun on the top. If you prefer crispy buns on both sides, load the whole bun on top of the sloppy joe mixture.
Recipe Variations
- Replace the buns with a layer of cooked tater tots. It is delicious and super easy using frozen tater tots.
- Add a layer of sharp cheddar, Colby Jack, or American. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed with cheesy sloppy joes.
- Replace the buns with 8 ounces of cooked and drained pasta. Combine the pasta with the sloppy joe mixture. Top with a layer of shredded cheese. See above for great cheese options.
What to Serve With Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Potatoes: potato wedges, smashed potatoes, or pan-fried potatoes
- Pasta: parmesan pasta or mac and cheese
- Salad: garden salad or black bean and corn salad
- Soup: vegetable soup or sweet potato soup
Leftovers and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power until warm. Although the buns absorb much of the sauce, the flavors will be good.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 medium green pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 12 slider buns
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- steak seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat. About halfway through the browning process, add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the beef is browned and the veggies are soft. Drain any excess grease. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
- Stir in the apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tomato paste, ketchup, barbecue sauce, beef broth, and chili powder. Simmer the meat mixture for about 15 minutes over low heat. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Cut the slider buns in half without separating them. Toast the buns cut-side up on a baking sheet under the broiler. Add the toasted bottom buns to a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Spoon the sloppy joe mixture over the buns. Place the toasted top buns over the mixture.
- Brush them with butter and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the buns are toasted golden brown; for best results, serve promptly.
Notes
- Replace the buns with a layer of cooked tater tots. It is delicious and super easy using frozen tater tots.
- Add a layer of sharp cheddar, Colby Jack, or American. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed with cheesy sloppy joes.
- Replace the buns with 8 ounces of cooked and drained pasta. Combine the pasta with the sloppy joe mixture. Top with a layer of shredded cheese. See above for great cheese options.
Kira
We LOVE sloppy Joe but have never seen a creation like this : the girls are going to love trying this out over the weekend
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kira! Enjoy!
Michelle L
This casserole recipe was an easy win for my family dinner. Hubby and the kids loved it. It was easy to make and delicious1 This will be on rotation at our house!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Michelle! I am so happy that your family loved it.
Trish
This is a great way to serve sloppy joes. Fun twist on classic recipe!
Stephanie
I love good recipes with simple indgredients that I can practically just find in my pantry or fridge. Plus the preparation of this sloppy joe casserole is super easy! Definitely adding this to my dinner recipe rotationa. I loved it that much.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Stephanie!
Luna S
This is a great twist on the classic dinner! The whole family loved it. It was so easy, too! A great weeknight dinner!
Karen
omg this is perfect, thanks a lot for the recipe!!! It was very easy to make and the casserole turned out delicious…THANK YOU!!!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Karen!
Ram
This sloppy joe casserole recipe was very delicious and easy to make. I added some shredded cheese and the whole family loved it.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ram!
Joanna
I love sloppy joes and remember the weird canned stuff from when I was a kid. This sounds like a much healthier option!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Joanna! Enjoy!
Yvette
These sloppy joes really taste so good. The addition of all the seasonings and the mustard really make the flavour pop. My kids loved them too.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Yvette!
Maria
Omg! I love this casserole so much! What a great way to feed my crowd. Thanks for the inspiration, Beth!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Maria!
April
I loved this way of making sloppy joes! So easy and delicious – it was a hit with the kids!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, April! I am glad they enjoyed it
Beth
This is such a great way to serve up Sloppy Joes. It was a lot easier than making a huge mess trying to prepare them individually. Love it.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Beth!
Veronica
The Sloppy Joe Casserole was a huge hit with my family! It had all the delicious flavors of traditional sloppy joes but in a cozy, comforting casserole form.
Krystle Smith
The traditional flavors were there but taking it to casserole form made it so much more fun to serve and eat.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Krystle! I am so glad that you liked the casserole!
Melissa
I love whipping these up on weeknights! Flavorful and everyone loves them!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Melissa! So glad that you like the casserole!