Easy Sloppy Joe Pasta is a hearty, comforting baked dish packed with bold, nostalgic flavors and cozy, cheesy goodness in every bite!
Ultimate Sloppy Joes get turned into a gooey, cheesy Pasta Dish that will have everyone begging for seconds. Just like Baked Spaghetti, this is a quick weeknight Dinner that doubles as a make-ahead freezer meal.
Sabrina’s Sloppy Joe Pasta Recipe
Sure, you could eat Sloppy Joes Sandwiches with a fork, but where is the fun in that? As much as I love to eat messy Sloppy Joes (with over 35 recipes to prove it), sometimes you need a dinner that’s delicious, easy, and mess-free. This gooey, cheesy pasta is just as delicious as any Mac and Cheese with half the work, and the bonus of beefy, better-than-Manwich flavors!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 16 ounces large shell pasta
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 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 ground black pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook shell pasta 1 minute shy of directions on the box, then drain and set aside.
- 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 to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and coat well.
- Pour half the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and top with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add remaining pasta mixture and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
This pasta dish has a classic homemade sloppy sauce made from pantry ingredients, ground beef, tender shell pasta, and tons of cheddar cheese. With just a little prep work to make the beef filling, you get a baked pasta dish that’s better than any ready-made boxed dinner. Plus, you can make this dish ahead of time for an easy weeknight casserole ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: Since ground beef is one of the main ingredients, of course, this beefy pasta dish is loaded with it. You want to stick with a lean ground beef, like 85/15 or 90/10, so that it’s nice and flavorful but not greasy.
- Sloppy Joe Sauce: There are plenty of ways to make Sloppy Joe sauce, but the classic way is a tangy, savory, and sweet tomato-based sauce. The tomato sauce and mustard balance out the sweetness of the ketchup and brown sugar. It all comes together for a delicious, nostalgic flavor that makes these messy ground beef sandwiches so amazing.
- Vegetables: This tasty, cheesy, comforting pasta dish is kid-friendly, but parents will love that there’s some hidden vegetables in the sauce. Not only does sauteing them in sauce add lots of savory flavor, but it also sneaks in some extra nutrients, too.
- Pasta: Large shells are smaller than the jumbo shells used for stuffed shells, but they are still a pretty good size to fill up like big, delicious, beefy, cheesy pockets. You can use other pasta shapes, but it’s best to use one that scoops up the yummy beef and sauce in every bite.
- Cheese: This amazing pasta bake is super cheesy with half the cheddar cheese mixed into the beef filling and then smothered with the remaining cheese before baking. It’s gooey, melty cheddar-filled goodness.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Prepare the beef mixture and cook the pasta just under al dente. Combine the beef mixture and cooked pasta, and cool down. Layer cooled pasta mixture and cheddar cheese in a baking pan. Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Keep in refrigerator up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
What to Pair With
I loaded this Sloppy Joe Pasta up with beef and pasta, plus onions and bell peppers, so it’s delicious and hearty. This dish will be a hit side dish at potlucks and kids’ parties, or serve it as a main dish. To round out your meal, serve with Roasted Broccoli or Green Beans. If you are missing hamburger buns, why not serve Dinner Rolls to soak up any extra sauce?
How to Store
- Serve: Pasta can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be stored in the freezer or refrigerator. Cool completely before storing.
- Store: Store in the baking dish covered in foil, or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If the sauce is too thick when reheating, add beef stock 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency.
- Freeze: Cover cooled baking dish with plastic wrap tightly and then aluminum foil, or store in a sealed container. Freeze pasta for up to 3 months and reheat from frozen. Heat in oven covered with aluminum foil.
Slow Cooker Method
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet until cooked through. Drain and add to the slow cooker.
- Sauté onions and peppers in 1 tablespoon butter for 3-4 minutes until just soft.
- Add onion mixture, sauce ingredients, uncooked pasta, 1 cup cheese, 2 cups beef broth, and 1 cup evaporated milk to the beef in the crock pot.
- Stir to combine everything and cover with a lid.
- Cook on low 3-4 hours, until pasta is tender. Stir in the remaining cheese and cook on high until cheese is melted.
Frequent Questions
Sloppy Joe sauce is a sweeter tomato-based beef sauce than bolognese, with a flavor that is closer to BBQ sauce. The Sloppy sauce is also quite a bit thicker than your typical bolognese sauce, and it’s often made with ingredients like ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, whereas bolognese is more fresh veggies, herbs, and tomato sauce.
One of the great things about making homemade Sloppy Joes sauce is that you can absolutely eliminate or swap ingredients you don’t like. Feel free to leave out the fresh onions and peppers, or swap them with onion powder and paprika, or use other colored peppers.
Yes, you definitely need to cook the pasta before assembling the casserole. There isn’t enough liquid in the dish to cook the pasta all the way through, and it would take longer if you do add broth. If you use the slow cooker variation, you can use uncooked pasta.
Variations
- Meat: Substitute ground beef for ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage crumbles. You can make a blend of ground meat for more flavor. Brown the leaner white meat with olive oil to give it more fat and flavor.
- Veggies: Adding veggies to a casserole is a great way to make this a little healthier. Sneak in veggies like corn, peas, carrots, or spinach. Thaw frozen veggies before adding and drain both frozen or canned veggies.
- Pasta: Use penne pasta, elbow macaroni, or other small tubular or hollow pasta. You can stuff jumbo pasta shells with the filling for an easy Sloppy Joes Stuffed Shells bake. Mix half the cheese in the filling, then top stuffed shells with the remaining cheese and bake as usual until the cheese is melted.
- Cheese: This recipe can be made with all your favorite cheeses! Try Velveeta cheese, grated or cubed, or try shredded mozzarella, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, or provolone cheese.
- Potatoes: Instead of pasta, make this a gluten-free Sloppy Joes Potato Bake. Swap in a bag of frozen fried potatoes like fries or Diced Hash Browns for the pasta. No need to defrost, just bake an extra 10 minutes! You can also pour the filling into the dish and top with frozen tater tots.
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These photos were in a previous version of this post
Came out delicious
Thx ?
You’re welcome Sherry and thanks for the five star review!
Cover when baking or no?
Thx ??
Depends on how much liquid you have from the meat you choose. If too “runny”, uncovered.
This was an instant hit. I used butterfly pasta instead of shells, diced portabella mushrooms, and 2 cans of regular Manwich sauce. I used shredded 3 cheese topping for the 2 cheese layers, more than the 2 cups, enough to cover the entire dish on both layers, no measuring. Baked 20 minutes at 350. The pasta gave it the look and feel of Lasagna. The hardest part; taking 1 serving.