Sloppy Joe Casserole
Sloppy Joes are a kid and family favorite. I mean, who doesn’t love Sloppy Joes? Well, maybe whoever has to do the laundry after half the family dumps the filling all over their clothes. Hey, they don’t call them “sloppy” for nothing! 🤣 That’s why I love that this Sloppy Joe Casserole combines the hearty, familiar filling with an easier-to-eat topping of mini rolls. Then it’s all baked up to kid- and family-friendly perfection. And another bonus is that I’ve upped the veggies big time. They add great flavor and texture to this familiar favorite. All you need for a complete supper is a side salad!
You’re definitely gonna want to pin this one for your next potluck!
Sloppy Joe Casserole Ingredients
While the ingredient list looks long, it’s all stuff you probably already have in the fridge. If you don’t have smoked paprika, just use regular. I love to use the Better than Bouillon broth pastes. However, you can also substitute beef broth for the water and bouillon.
Filling Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Ground beef
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
- 1 ½ cups finely diced onion
- 1 medium green pepper, finely diced
- 1 medium red pepper, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup flour
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 tsp beef bouillon paste
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- ⅔ cup catsup
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry mustard
Topping
- 20 small dinner rolls (Such as Martins Party Rolls) or the tops of 12 3” slider buns
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- sesame seeds
I topped this casserole with yummy Martin’s Party Rolls, but you can also use the tops of their 3″ slider buns. In fact, if you are feeding kiddos, the slider tops might be easier for them to deal with.
How Put Together the Sloppy Joe Casserole
Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet brown ground beef. Season with salt. Remove ground beef to 13 x 9 casserole pan. Spoon off all but 2 Tbsp. of the fat.
Sautee all veggies except garlic in the fat on medium heat until beginning to brown a bit. Don’t rush the process. You want the veggies to soften before they brown. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Next, add tomato paste and sauté one more minute.
Meanwhile, whisk together water, bouillon paste (or 1 ½ cups of beef broth), catsup, bbq sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.
Return ground beef to pan with veggies. Sprinkle flour over mixture and sauté for 1 minute. Pour sauce mixture over all and simmer until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Pour mixture back into the 13 x 9 casserole pan. Place rolls on top of sloppy joe mixture and gently press into the filling mix.
Melt butter and brush liberally all over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle sesame seeds over rolls.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the rolls are nicely browned.
I hope you and your family enjoy this hearty casserole. Because the small rolls make this casserole easy to portion, it’s also great to bring to a potluck or buffet supper.
Peace,
Check out these other friend and family pleasing entrees…
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Ground beef
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large carrot - shredded
- 1 large stalk celery - finely diced
- 1 ½ cups finely diced onion
- 1 medium green pepper - finely diced
- 1 medium red pepper - finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups water*
- 2 tsp beef bouillon paste*
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- ⅔ cup catsup
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tbsp Yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 20 small dinner rolls - Such as Martins Party Rolls or the tops of 12 3” slider buns
- 2 tbsp butter - melted
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet brown ground beef. Season with salt. Remove ground beef to 13 x 9 casserole pan. Spoon off all but 2 Tbsp. of the fat.
- Sautee all veggies except garlic in the fat on medium heat until beginning to brown a bit. Don’t rush the process. You want the veggies to soften before they brown. Add garlic and sauté one minute. Add tomato paste and sauté one more minute.
- Meanwhile, whisk together water, bouillon paste (or 1 ½ cups of beef broth), catsup, bbq sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.
- Return ground beef to pan with veggies. Sprinkle flour over mixture and sauté for 1 minute. Pour sauce mixture over all and simmer until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Pour mixture back into the 13 x 9 casserole pan. Place rolls on top of sloppy joe mixture and gently press into the filling mix. Melt butter and brush liberally all over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle sesame seeds over rolls. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the rolls are nicely browned.