Easy Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes are made with classic burger ingredients and are the ultimate weeknight meal. Ready in 30 minutes or less!
This cheeseburger version of Sloppy Joes is just one more to add to your list of favorite recipes for a family-friendly, quick dinner. It’s perfect for when you’re craving a Classic Cheeseburger without firing up the outdoor grill or just want a twist on a favorite dinner Sandwich.
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Sabrina’s Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe Recipe
Sloppy Joes have always been hit for dinner on a busy weeknight, and there are so many ways to make them! I’ve made everything from Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese to Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes to Pizza Sloppy Joes. The ground beef base is so easy to add your favorite flavors and ingredients to for something entirely new. The loose meat sandwich is also always a hit with kids, which makes it perfect for a big family dinner that everyone can enjoy!
If you’re a fan of burgers but want something a little easier, this is the recipe for you. Instead of forming meat patties to grill up, all you have to do is combine the ground meat along with your favorite burger toppings for a delicious sauce that’s ready in minutes. The cheesy meat with tomato, onion, ketchup, and relish is as delicious as it is easy. Once it’s done all you have to do is scoop it into hamburger buns to finish the super simple sandwiches.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef: I used 85/15 lean ground beef which I find makes for a flavorful filling that isn’t overly greasy and you don’t need to drain it.
- ¼ Yellow Onion: Onion will give a caramelized flavor to the beef. You can use red onion or even white onion if that’s what you have.
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt: A bit of kosher salt helps enhance the other flavors and brings balance to the meaty, saucy filling.
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper: The spicy notes of the black pepper also help balance out the dish.
- 14.5 ounces Diced Tomatoes: This is one can of regular diced tomatoes. If you’d prefer to slice your own, fill two cups by volume of freshly diced tomatoes.
- 2 tablespoons Dill Pickle Relish: Pickles are a classic tangy burger topping and the relish makes it easy to get that delicious flavor in the filling.
- 1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard: Another classic burger topping to add to the tasty burger flavor.
- ⅓ cup Ketchup: The ketchup really gives these sammies the burger taste. Since I also added tomatoes, you don’t need as much ketchup as other sloppy joes recipes.
- 8 slices American Cheese or Velveeta: You want to use a super melty cheese like Amercian cheese or Velvetta cheese so that it blends easily into a smooth sauce.
- 4 Hamburger Buns: Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes of course need to be served on hamburger buns. Try them with sesame seed buns or potato buns too!
- 1 cup Shredded Lettuce: I used shredded romaine lettuce but you can also use iceberg lettuce, or another crisp lettuce.
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How to Make Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
Time needed: 25 minutes.
- Brown the Meat
Put a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add the ground beef and onion slices. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat as it cooks for 6-8 minutes
- Make the Sauce
Season the mixture with salt and black pepper, then add in the diced tomatoes, relish, mustard, and ketchup to the skillet. Continue stirring the ingredients over medium heat for another 5-6 minutes cooking time until the sauce thickens.
- Add the Cheese
To finish the mixture add the slices of cheese or shredded cheese over the top, then stir it in as it melts.
- Assemble and Serve
Toast the hamburger buns until golden brown. Add the meat mixture to the bottom bun, then sprinkle on some shredded lettuce and top it all off with the other half of the bun to finish the sandwich. Enjoy!
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Can This Be Made Ahead?
This is perfect to make ahead. You can make a big batch the night before and just heat it up on the stove the next day. You can also store it in portioned air-tight containers in the freezer to heat up for a quick and yummy kid’s meal! To keep it out longer, you can keep the meat mixture in a crockpot at low heat. This is especially great if you’re serving the sloppy joes during a potluck or party. Put buns and lettuce on the side for guests to assemble their own sandwiches.
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Nutritional Facts
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How to Store
- Store: Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes will stay good at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Let the ground beef mixture cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating Tips: You can easily reheat refrigerated leftovers on the stovetop. Add a splash of beef broth or water if it seems dry or you want it bit more saucy.
- Freeze: For longer storage, put the sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Frequent Questions
While cheeseburgers are typically made with ground beef, yes, you can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken for a different flavor. And did you know that the meat substitution changes the name to Sloppy Jane? How fun is that!
A Sloppy Joe is a classic North American-style sandwich made of a sloppy ground beef mixture that is usually slightly tangy from Worcestershire sauce and slightly sweet from brown sugar. It’s possible the name comes from the guy who supposedly invented this style of sandwich, but nobody is exactly sure.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 8 slices American cheese , or Velveeta
- 4 hamburger buns
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Add ground beef and onion to a large pot and cook on medium-high heat, breaking it apart as you cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add diced tomatoes (do not drain), relish, mustard, and ketchup, stirring well.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until sauce is thick.
- Add in American cheese slices and stir right before serving.
- Serve over toasted buns and top with shredded lettuce.
Notes
- Change Serving Size: Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Conversion: To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
- Kitchen Timer: Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Nutrition
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Variations
- Bread: Sloppy Joe recipes are great served with simple hamburger buns, but you can also serve them with brioche buns, potato bread buns, or French buns.
- Extra Cheese: Add additional cheese to the recipe by topping off the sandwich with a slice of your favorite cheese. Mild cheddar cheese, provolone, Swiss, Pepper Jack, muenster, or gouda would all taste great.
- Turkey Burger Sloppy Joes: If you’re trying to cut back on red meat, you can make this same delicious recipe using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Seasonings: For some extra flavor, sprinkle your favorite seasonings in at the same time you add the salt and pepper. Garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, or dried oregano would taste great.
- Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes: For an easy, crispy, and flavorful addition, you can layer cooked bacon over the lettuce in each sandwich. Cook the slices of bacon in a separate pan from the rest of the meat, until you have nice crisp bacon that’s still a little tender.
- Toppings: One of the great things about this recipe is that you can add your choice of ingredients for extra toppings. Pretty much any regular burger toppings would work in these sloppy joes. Try adding some dill pickle slices, red onion, avocado, or mushrooms.
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