Easy Sloppy Joe Casserole is a tasty quick family friendly dinner. Baked sesame seed bun topping with a cheesy ground beef Sloppy Joes filling from scratch.
All the Sloppy Joes flavor you love with none of the “sloppy” mess! Keep your hands clean and your tummy full with this delicious fun twist on a Dinner classic.
SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE
If you are looking for an easy way to serve a crowd, you can’t beat a tasty casserole. From Cheeseburger Casserole to Tater Tot Casserole, putting family favorites in a baking pan and smothering it in cheese and carbs is the ultimate party food. This party size Sloppy Joe Casserole is a great way to get all the taste without needing a stack of napkins.
Sloppy Joe Casserole is so easy to make, the prep time is only about 15 minutes including chopping veggies and browning the beef. From start to finish, this quick dinner recipe is ready to eat in less than an hour. You can prep it ahead of time and freeze it for a fast weeknight dinner ready to bake whenever you don’t feel like cooking.
The french bread dough is what gives this Sloppy Joe Casserole that same hamburger bun taste and texture you get with Sloppy Joes Sandwiches. Instead of making the French Bread Dough from scratch, this recipe uses the canned kind. Canned dough saves time without sacrificing flavor, plus it’s easier to use since it’s already in a sheet. Save the homemade dough for dinner parties and just stick with canned stuff.
This Sloppy Joes Casserole is a filling dinner that kids of all ages will love! The mild tomato sauce is still packed with flavor while staying kid-friendly. Serve Sloppy Joe Casserole with easy veggie sides like Sautéed Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli. For an extra delicious casserole, mix a cup of Sautéed Mushrooms into your beef filling!
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How to Make Sloppy Joe Casserole Ahead
Prepare Sloppy Joes filling per the recipe instructions and add to the baking dish. Top with cheese slices and wrap baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months, or refrigerate up to 3 days. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap and add french bread dough with sesame seed topping. Bake from frozen 45-55 minutes, or thawed 40-50 minutes.

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VARIATIONS ON SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE
- Meat: You can use any ground meat instead of ground beef, like ground turkey or ground chicken. If you are using leaner meat, brown the meat in 2 tablespoons olive oil so it isn’t too fatty.
- Topping: You can use canned biscuit dough, puff pastry, crescent dough sheets, or homemade Cornbread Batter instead of the French bread dough. Bake until golden brown and pastry cooked through.
- Tater Tots: Another topping you can use instead of French bread dough is frozen tater tots. Prepare Sloppy Joes filling like normal, then top with a 32 ounce bag of frozen tater tots. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes for a Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole.
- Sloppy Sauce: Instead of ketchup, use BBQ Sauce, or add other favorite Sloppy Joes seasonings like Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, or chili sauce.
- Cheese: Swap out the American cheese with any sliced or shredded cheese like cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone slices, or pepper jack cheese. If you use slices of cheese, make sure they are thin slices.
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HOW TO STORE SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE
- Serve: Sloppy Joe Casserole is best served warm and fresh from the oven. Keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours and cool before storing.
- Store: Once cool, wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap before refrigerating Sloppy Joe Casserole for up to 4 days. Reheat casserole in the oven, covered in foil so the bread doesn’t burn, on low heat until hot.
- Freeze: Cool Sloppy Joe Casserole completely, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze casserole for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove plastic wrap and recover with foil and heat in oven for 30-45 minutes, until hot.


Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef , 85/15
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion , chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 12 slices cheese
- 1 can French bread dough (Pillsbury or store brand)
- 1 large egg , beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the ground beef to a large skillet on medium-high heat and brown until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
- Drain the fat, lower heat to medium and add the butter, onions and bell pepper to the pan.
- Cook vegetables with the beef until onions and green bell peppers are translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, mustard, tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the ground beef mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Top with sliced cheese evenly over the beef mixture.
- Unroll the French bread dough over the cheese slices
- Mix the egg well with water then brush the top of the dough with the egg mixture and top with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
This recipe sounds amazing. I LOVE SLOPPY Joes.
I have one request, and I hope that you will be able to do this in the future. You always have great suggestions/additions to your recipes. Could you PLEASE include those in maybe a note at the bottom of the recipe.
Hi Janet! I include a section of ideas in the blog above the recipe. Enjoy!