Cheesy sloppy Joe casserole is an easy family dinner with saucy sloppy Joe’s, plenty of melted cheese and crusty bread on top - perfect for a weeknight dinner!
This past weekend we celebrated my sweet baby boy. 💙🎂🎈
Who is somehow, inexplicably, 4 years old. (Or will be in a couple of days. We had the birthday party early...)
He's still my cute, sweet, silly, cuddly little boy, but oh my, he has grown.
I'm trying to keep up, trying to do this motherhood thing the best that I can and trying also to slow down, to appreciate those small moments, to revel in the fact that he still wants to sit in my lap as we read books and to have me hold him up the stairs at bedtime.
These moments, these days, they will be lost to time. So for now, I will try to open my eyes and see and live each one as much as I am able. That's all there is, right?
Whew, OK, enough deep thoughts for a Monday.
The food is calling and you don't want to miss it...
This cheesy sloppy Joe casserole has a layer of rich, flavorful turkey sloppy Joe’s, topped with plenty of melty cheese and thick slices of bread that make for a crusty topping - such a delicious family dinner!
Admittedly, my husband was a little doubtful the first time I made this. He’s fine with traditional sloppy Joe’s and probably wondered why I had to go and mess with them.
But he was impressed when we sat down and dug into this!
He said he loved how hearty it was with the thick toasted bread slices. And the cheesy layer was of course a hit with the kids! #justaddcheese 😂
I love how the bread gets crusty on top, while the bottom of the bread, that’s against the cheese and sloppy Joe mixtures, softens. It makes for a delicious bite!
Plus, this is all you need:
👆That's just my regular ground turkey sloppy Joe mix (you can of course use ground beef or your favorite recipe), some shredded cheddar cheese (we opt for white cheddar) and some French bread.
You won't need the whole loaf for this recipe so you can save some extra and everyone can fight for a piece to be able to sop up the juicy, rich sloppy Joe mix left in the casserole dish.
So. Much. YUM!
If you love comfort food like this, note that I also want to check out this bacon cheeseburger pasta from Amanda's Cooking and this easy homemade hamburger helper from A Mind"full" Mom. (I feel confident you can sub ground turkey for either of those if you want to!)
Let's watch the layering progression here for the sloppy Joe's casserole...
And voila! The final baked beauty:
A few notes on this cheesy sloppy Joe casserole:
- I use ground turkey for my sloppy Joe’s, but you can substitute ground beef if you prefer. Just make sure to drain off any extra grease.
- I use a loaf of French bread, but you could substitute your favorite type of bread here. Or do biscuits!
- You can spice this up with the jalapeño (leave some of the membranes and seeds in) and more sriracha sauce or you can omit or reduce those for less heat.
- You can make the full recipe in an 8x12 inch casserole dish or do half the recipe in an 8x8 inch pan.
- You can prep this ahead! You can make the sloppy Joe’s mixture and shred the cheese and then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Then you just need to assemble the casserole, add the bread and put it in the oven!
We love this served with a side salad or some sautéed spinach or kale for a veggie side. 🥗💚
I hope you give this yummy casserole a try!
XO,
Kathryn
Cheesy sloppy Joe casserole
Cheesy sloppy Joe casserole is full of saucy sloppy Joe's, melted cheese and crusty bread on top - perfect for an easy family dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ pounds ground turkey (I use 7% fat)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped (can omit for less heat)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- ¾ cup liquid of choice: beer, low-sodium chicken broth or water
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ½ to 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (optional: you can omit or reduce for less heat)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ small French bread loaf, cut into thick 1-inch slices
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x12 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- To make the sloppy Joe's, heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add ground turkey, green pepper and jalapeno, if using. Sauté until the ground turkey is cooked through and the peppers are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and chili powder and sauté for another minute.
- Add liquid of choice, ketchup, sriracha (if using) and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and bring to a simmer, then turn off heat.
- Transfer sloppy Joe mixture to prepared casserole dish. Top with cheddar cheese then bread slices. Drizzle the bread with a little olive oil.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. If desired, you can broil for an additional minute to help the bread pieces brown up. Just be sure to watch it carefully!
- To serve: Invert the bread onto the plate so the crusty side is down then spoon the sloppy Joe mixture on top of the bread. Enjoy!
Notes
I use ground turkey for my sloppy Joe’s, but you can substitute ground beef if you prefer. Just make sure to drain off any extra grease.
I use a loaf of French bread, but you could substitute your favorite type of bread here. Or use biscuits!
You can spice this up with the jalapeño (leave some of the membranes and seeds in) and more sriracha sauce or you can omit or reduce those for less heat.
You can make the full recipe in an 8x12 inch casserole dish or do half the recipe in an 8x8 inch pan.
You can prep this ahead! You can make the sloppy Joe’s mixture and shred the cheese and then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Then you just need to assemble the casserole, add the bread and put it in the oven!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 667mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 26g
Adina
This looks delicious, I have never had Sloppy Joe or anything like it, but I am so sure my kids would love this as well. Happy Birthday to your boy, my boy will turn 9 at the end of August, I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by... But he still likes me to read to him and to sit on my lap (although he is way too heavy now for that...) and to cuddle and kiss, so I am trying to make the most of it as well, I know it will not last much longer.
Kathryn
Aww, glad to know I've maybe got a few more years of it to look forward to! Have a great week!
Aggie
Happy birthday to your sweet boy!! Mine is turning 4 in October and I seriously can't even believe it. He's been more cuddly than ever and I'm so glad.
This casserole totally caught my eye. It looks delicious!!!
Kathryn
Thanks so much Aggie! And I know - how did our baby boys grow up so fast?!?!
Kaleen
I've made this twice now. The first time I was feeling a little lazier and used a can of Manwich. It was good, but it was so much better when I made it as written! We like things hot, so I used a little bit more jalapeno and sriracha than it calls for. This is definitely going to be one of our staples!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Kaleen! And I love that you made it extra spicy 😊 Thanks so much for sharing!
Cathy
OH My!! These are amazing. I did, however, make a few changes. My mother in law taught me to make sloppy Joes with BBQ sauce and my husband loves it so I made this recipe with BBQ sauce rather than ketchup. Secondly, I use cast iron pans so was able to simply top the turkey with cheese and bread making it a one dish meal. Lastly, (and I didn't want to make this change). Aldi today didn't have french bread, it was late, and I was tired so I grabbed sour dough. It worked but I want to try french bread. My husband said pre-made garlic bread would tase great too.
Kathryn
I'm so happy you loved it! Great idea to try it with BBQ sauce too - yum!