Italian Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joe's

These are a favorite Italian American Style, Sloppy Joe, on garlic bread or grilled cheese style, toasted.

The filling has Italian sausage and ground beef in a delicious Italian sauce, then either served on garlic toast or grilled with cheese, which is both delicious either way.

Usually mom used leftover Sunday Tomato Sauce with whatever meat was in the pot (most of the time, meatballs and sweet sausage), but if you're not so lucky to have leftovers, we made the recipe from scratch.

This comfort sandwich takes the classic SLOPPY JOE to a gourmet level with just a few simple ingredients.

A gourmet upgrade that makes everything you love about this classic go from a plain Sloppy Joe to a cheesy, crispy upgrade that feels indulgent yet easy to make at home.

If you love copycat-style recipes, you may like to try our Copycat Roundup of Recipes we improvised over the year.

Just scroll down to the recipe card to print off this great rendition of this American Italian classic new recipe everyone will love!

Why You Will Love This Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joe

• Combines two classic comfort foods into one irresistible sandwich
• Crispy, buttery bread with gooey melted cheese in every bite
• Uses simple pantry ingredients
• Ready in under 30 minutes
• Perfect for lunch, dinner, or casual entertaining
• Use any bread, rolls, or wraps for grilling or making pannini
• Easy to customize with different cheeses and add-ins 
•  A little history, Heinz in Pittsburgh, says their research at the Carnegie Library suggests that the sloppy joe's origins lie with the "loose meat sandwiches" sold in Sioux City, Iowa, in the 1930s, and were the creation of a cook named Joe. Sloppy Joes as sandwiches were put on menus by the 1940s in many diners.
  

Recipe for Making Old Fashioned Sloppy Joe's (1950s Style)

1. To make the old-fashioned classic recipe, here's what you do: 
2. Sauté the meat first with 1 - 1/2 pounds ground beef until the pink is gone, with 1 large white onion roughly chopped 
3. Add salt, black pepper to taste, 1 cup ketchup, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 packed Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard. Simmer for around 30 minutes on low till is thickens slightly. Take 6 hamburger-sized buns, and pile onto the soft buns
4. For the Grilled Cheese version photo shown below:(add regular white bread and sharp cheddar to make a grilled style sloppy joe, see photo below, or just pile onto hamburger buns like the 1950s version)

Mix-In and Flavor Variation Ideas

• Cheese swaps: Pepper jack, Colby-Jack, smoked gouda, or provolone
• Spicy kick: Add diced jalapeños, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce
• Veggie boost: Sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, or corn
• BBQ twist: Use barbecue sauce instead of sloppy joe sauce
• Pizza-style: Add mozzarella and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning

Try Some Of My Other Favorites

Upstate New York Feast Sausage and Peppers
Sausage Sliders with Mushrooms
Baked Sausage Potatoes and Peppers

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Tips

1. Use low heat to ensure the cheese melts fully without burning the bread
2. Shred your own cheese for better melting
3. Don’t overload the sandwich—too much filling can cause slipping
4. A lid on the pan helps melt the cheese faster
5. Let the sloppy joe mixture cool slightly before assembling to prevent soggy bread

Italian Sloppy Joe's Recipes, Sloppy Joe's Italian Style, ground beef and Italian sausage sloppy Joe's, grilled cheese Italian sloppy joe's

ground beef recipes, grilled cheese recipes, Italian meat recipes, sandwich recipes

American, Italian, French

Yield: 4

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Italian Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joe's

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is a delicious Italian-style sloppy Joe made two ways either grilled or baked-on garlic toast.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound loose Italian mild sausage
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bell pepper chopped into small pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• sliced mozzarella and/or provolone as much as you like
• Optional: Open-Faced or Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joe's
• 8 Slices of 1/2 inch thick garlic or for grilled style, use two slices of thin-style Italian bread
• Use the same spread below for either style
• Garlic Toast:
• 8 slices extra-thick Italian bread
• 8 tablespoons or more extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil or more to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Mix all the above and spread on the outside of the bread.
• Grilled or Open Top: Use whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese, provolone, or other kinds of cheese that melt easily on top of the open-faced or inside the grilled style.

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil, loose sausage, and beef.
2. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until it is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper, then remove the beef and drain off the fat using a paper towel, and set this aside.
4. To the same skillet, cook the peppers and onions until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. 
5. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. 
6. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or 2. 
7. Now stir in the tomatoes, parsley, sugar, oregano, and basil and bring to a simmer.
8.  Return the beef to the pan and simmer until the mixture is nice and thick, about 10 minutes. 
9. If it gets too thick, thin it with a little water. 
10. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and parsley. 
11. Grilled Cheese:
12. Use the garlic toast spread on each side of the thinly sliced bread.
13. Add some of the sloppy joe mixtures on the bread, cover with another piece, placing a slice of cheese of your choice on it ( we use a slice of provolone and one slice of thick mozzarella cheese.
14. You can either bake these in at 400 degrees, flipping once until browned and cheese melts, or you can do this in a gridded cast-iron skillet on the stovetop.
15. Open-Faced  Italian Sloppy Joe Instructions:
16. Spread the garlic spread mixture thinly on thick-sliced Italian bread on both sides.
17. Note: for an open-faced sandwich, you will need to toast in a hot oven at 400 degrees for around 15 to 20 minutes.
18. Pour the sloppy Joe mixture on top of the garlic bread.
19. Sprinkle with mozzarella or provolone shredded cheese, then more grated cheese,and broil on medium-high heat until browned and melted.
20. Note: for Open-faced sandwiches, I broil the cheese on medium-high heat until the cheese is browned, around 3 minutes.

Calories

1327.47

Fat (grams)

98.94

Sat. Fat (grams)

29.62

Carbs (grams)

45.79

Fiber (grams)

3.91

Net carbs

41.88

Sugar (grams)

11.50

Protein (grams)

63.21

Sodium (milligrams)

1984.28

Cholesterol (grams)

213.73

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2015/10/italian-sloppy-joes-grilled-cheese.html

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2015. It was edited and re-published in 2021.