Instead of serving the saucy, savory beef on buns, this recipe combines it with tender pasta and melted cheese for a cozy, satisfying casserole that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
It’s familiar, filling, and incredibly easy to customize—making it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for both kids and adults.
If there happened to be any leftovers, we even came up with alternative meals and added some black beans the next day for a whole new meal.
See our recipe below on the printable recipe card at the end, just scroll down to avoid the ads and hit print.
Why You Will Love This Recipe for Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Comfort food favorite: All the nostalgic flavor of sloppy joes in a warm, cheesy casserole
- Hearty and filling: Pasta makes this dish extra satisfying and perfect for feeding a crowd
- Easy weeknight dinner: Simple ingredients and minimal prep
- Great for leftovers: Reheats beautifully for lunches or next-day dinners
- Customizable: Easy to add veggies, swap proteins, or change up the cheese
- One-dish meal: Protein, carbs, and sauce all in one pan
Tips for Making This Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Use sturdy pasta like rotini, penne, or shells to hold onto the sauce
- Cook pasta just to al dente so it doesn’t become mushy after baking
- Drain excess grease from the meat to keep the casserole from being oily
- Balance the sauce – If your sloppy joe sauce is very sweet, add a splash of Worcestershire or mustard
- Let it rest for 8 minutes after baking, so it sets up nicely
- Cover, then uncover while baking to keep it moist but still get bubbly cheese on top
Other Serving Ideas for Sloppy Joe:
- use a leftover dip for a tortilla hot pocket or inside a wrap
- topping for tortilla salads
- add crushed tortilla chips to the top
- make a vegetarian sloppy joe instead of meat add mushrooms
- add chicken instead of beef leftover rotisserie chicken salad
- add pinto beans and shredded barbecued chicken
- substitute sharp cheddar with jalapeno jack cheese
- try a southwest chicken chili instead of ground beef and add corn and black beans with leftovers
- repurpose sloppy joe and make our favorite Chili recipes with your leftovers and omit the pasta
Garnish and Serving Suggestions
- blue cheese
- ranch dressing
- sour cream
- lettuce
- crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread points, garlic toast, potato chips
- crumbled cooked crispy bacon
- tomato diced
- chopped onions
- diced jalapeno peppers or other peppers
- cayenne pepper for extra heat
- thickly sliced or shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- sliced black or green olives
- chopped pickle slices
- cilantro
- diced green onion
- green chilies
- whole kernel corn
- chopped green peppers
- shredded carrots
- finely chopped radishes
- taco sauce
- enchiladas sauce
- salsa
- any kind of shredded cheeses you prefer
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Repurposing Sloppy Joe Casserole
This ground beef mixture can easily turn into a delicious dip just surround it with all the fix-ins.
Pour the sloppy joe mixture over rice instead of pasta or leave it as is and add beans this is so versatile.
Yield: 8
.jpg "Simple Sloppy Joe Casserole")
Simple Sloppy Joe Casserole
Sloppy Joe's are a popular sandwich and we just made it into a cheesy delicious casserole and added pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or ground Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound of small pasta like elbows or baby shells ( 8 ounces)
- salt, and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped bell pepper
- 1 (8 ounces) can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup bottled prepared ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow or brown spicy mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- water if needed, if it gets too thick
- 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese for garnishing the casserole
Instructions
- Heat the oil and saute the beef, peppers, and onion, with a dash of salt, pepper, and granulated garlic powder ( add more to taste).
- Stir in the garlic for 1 minute but do not brown this is just for flavor.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low heat for around 14 to 15 minutes.
- While the Sloppy Joe sauce is simmering, make the pasta.
- Boil the pasta to the package instructions to al dente'.
- Fold in the pasta.
- Pour the pasta and beef mixture into a baking casserole bowl, top with cheese, and place under the broiler for 2 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown.
- Serve with garlic bread or whatever kind of bread you prefer.
- See notes for other suggestions.
Notes
Other Sloppy Joe Suggestions:
- use leftover dip for a tortilla hot pocket or inside a wrap
- topping for tortilla salads
- add crushed tortilla chips to the top
- make a vegetarian sloppy joe instead of meat add mushrooms
- add chicken instead of beef leftover rotisserie chicken salad
- use beans and instead of pasta with barbecued chicken
- substitute sharp cheddar with jalapeno jack cheese
- try a southwest chicken chili instead beef add chicken and beans
- turn leftovers into a favorite Chili recipes and omit the pasta with leftovers
Garnish and Serving Suggestions
- blue cheese crumbles
- diced jalapeno peppers or other peppers
- cayenne pepper for extra heat
- thickly sliced or shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- sliced black or green olives
- chopped pickle slices
- cilantro
- diced green onion
- green chilies
- whole kernel corn
- chopped green peppers
- shredded carrots
- finely chopped radishes
- taco sauce
- enchiladas sauce
- salsa
- ranch dressing
- sour cream
- lettuce
- crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread points, garlic toast, potato chips
- crumbled cooked crispy bacon
- tomato diced
- any kinds of shredded cheese you prefer
Nutrition Facts
Calories
501.01Fat (grams)
31.55 gSat. Fat (grams)
12.41 gCarbs (grams)
35.28 gFiber (grams)
2.39 gNet carbs
32.91 gSugar (grams)
10.12 gProtein (grams)
19.71 gSodium (milligrams)
838.59 mgCholesterol (grams)
71.34 mg
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