This Sloppy Joe Casserole is a hearty weeknight meal your whole family will love! Ground beef and veggies are simmered with a sweet and tangy sauce, then topped with cornbread and baked to perfection!
If you’re a fan of Sloppy Joe sandwiches (or my Sloppy Joe Dip!), then you’re going to love this Sloppy Joe Casserole! It’s basically everything you love about the original, except instead of piling the ground beef mixture onto hamburger buns, it’s baked in a casserole dish with a cornbread topping!
This recipe is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. Whether you make it for a weeknight dinner or a potluck, it’s sure to disappear!
(Looking for more easy, family-friendly dinners? Try my Instant Pot Penne Alfredo, Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta, or Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole next!)
Easy Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe
Aside from the fact that this Sloppy Joe Casserole is delicious, I also love that it’s so easy to make. It’s the kind of dinner perfect for a school night when you want something hearty and filling, but you don’t want to spend 2 hours making dinner.
All you have to do is cook the Sloppy Joe mixture in a skillet, then pour it into a baking dish and top it with Jiffy cornbread mix. Super simple and totally delicious!
Bonus: You can also make the Sloppy Joe mixture in advance and then assemble the casserole later. Or you can double the Sloppy Joe and have sandwiches one day, then this Sloppy Joe Casserole the next day.
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Unsalted butter
- Carrot – Carrot isn’t a traditional addition to Sloppy Joes, but this is a good way to sneak some veggies in!
- Bell pepper
- Onion – Use a yellow onion, white onion, or a sweet onion like Vidalia.
- Garlic cloves
- Ground beef
- Ketchup
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar both work in this Sloppy Joe Casserole.
- Chili powder
- Mustard powder
- Beef broth
- Tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce
- Jiffy cornbread mix
- Eggs – Here’s the best way to crack an egg!
- Milk – I recommend using whole or reduced-fat (2%), but whatever you have on hand will work.
Variations
Feel free to substitute ground turkey, ground pork, or a vegetarian ground beef substitute like Impossible for the beef. No matter what you use, it’s sure to be delicious!
Another variation you can try is topping the casserole with shredded cheddar cheese or colby-jack cheese. You can never go wrong with adding cheese, right?!
How to Make Sloppy Joe Casserole
1. Prepare
Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Brown Ground Beef and Veggies
Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, diced onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until they’re softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and cook until it’s browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. You can drain off some of the excess grease at this point, but don’t drain it all.
3. Finish the Sloppy Joe Mixture
Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer and season with salt and pepper, then transfer the Sloppy Joe mixture to a 9×13 baking dish.
4. Make the Topping
Whisk together the cornbread mix, egg, and milk in a medium bowl. Spoon the cornbread mixture over the top of the Sloppy Joe and use a spatula to spread it evenly.
5. Bake
Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown.
How to Store Leftover Sloppy Joe Casserole
This Sloppy Joe Casserole is best served warm, right out of the oven. However, if you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheated in the oven or microwave when you’re ready to eat them.
FAQs
There are a few different ways you can serve this Sloppy Joe Casserole. I like to keep it simple and just serve it with a side of steamed broccoli or a green salad. If you want to stretch it out and get dinner for a few nights, you can pair it with French fries, roasted vegetables, or mac and cheese.
Manwich is canned Sloppy Joe sauce, so basically the difference between a Sloppy Joe and a Manwich is that the Manwich is made with canned sauce, while Sloppy Joes are made from scratch. Although you could use Manwich sauce as a shortcut in this recipe, I much prefer homemade—it’s not hard to make and the flavor is worth it!
Yes, Sloppy Joe meat can be frozen. Simply place it in a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stovetop.
There are a few different stories about how the Sloppy Joe got its name, ranging from a club in Key West that was “sloppy” to a cook in Sioux City, Iowa named Joe.
More Ground Beef Casserole Recipes
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large carrot peeled and grated
- 1 bell pepper diced
- ½ large onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire
- 2 8.5oz Jiffy cornbread mix
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Add 2 tbsp of butter to a large pan or Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the carrots, onions, peppers, and garlic and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and cooked through, stirring with a spoon to break up the beef. If there is too much fat in the pot, drain some and discard.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.
- Transfer cooked sloppy joe mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
- Whisk together cornbread mix, egg, and milk until combined. Spoon over the top of the sloppy joe mixture and carefully spread to cover the mixture.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown.
