Easy Classic Sloppy Joe Casserole with Pasta Recipe 

Easy Classic Sloppy Joe Casserole with Pasta Recipe

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

What is a meal that totally takes you back to childhood? For me – and probably for my own kids – it is sloppy joes. Smothered in canned sauce and spilling messily off of soft, traditional hamburger buns we would eat them with a side of potato chips, not a veggie in sight. Horrifying – but delicious! This Easy Classic Sloppy Joe Casserole with Pasta Recipe takes all of the best flavors of those classic sloppy joes and mixes them with pasta and cheese for a super satisfying, hearty meal that you can make in about 30 minutes. 

Some of the best features of this recipe:

Homemade sloppy joe sauce with just a handful of simple pantry staples! It is pretty much as easy as the tangy sauce in the canned stuff – but without the high fructose corn syrup.

One skillet! Clean up is so simple with all of the cooking done in one pan. It is the definition of easy dinner!

Fast! You can get all the prep and cooking done in just under 30 minutes. It is a great recipe for those busy weeknights when you just can’t picture yourself cooking.

The leftovers are even better the next day! Simply heat in the microwave and you are set.

As with all my meals, this Easy Classic Sloppy Joe Casserole with Pasta Recipe is super easy to make with no complicated techniques or special equipment. All the ingredients are readily available at any grocery store. As quick meals go, this is probably one of my quickest!

Recipe Ingredients

​1/2 medium yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup diced, sliced pickles (bread & butter pickles work great)

3/4 lb pasta (uncooked; cavatappi, farfalle, rigatoni)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and black pepper

​Sloppy joe sauce:

1 cup tomato ketchup

1/4 cup yellow mustard

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Helpful Tools

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Large skillet

Heatproof spatula

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Small bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Ingredient Notes

My go-to is lean ground beef. It keeps the dish from being too greasy or heavy. If you use something with more fat, you will need to pour it off before adding the sauce.

I think sliced bread & butter pickles, diced, work really well in adding flavor and crunch. Feel free to use your favorites.

The pasta should be something that holds onto the sauce. Something like cavatappi or farfalle works great.

I have a giant jug of Heinz ketchup hanging around at all times as well as yellow mustard, both of which I use here. I would suggest using sticking with both ketchup and yellow mustard (not Dijon, etc.) to get the same taste as a typical old-fashioned sloppy joes recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Begin by cooking the pasta according to package directions. I use 3/4 of a 1lb box of cavatappi pasta. It can cook throughout the rest of the process. Drain when ready.

2. Prepare the veggies. Chop the onion. Clean the seeds and membranes out of the green bell pepper and chop. Place the vegetables in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Prepare the sauce. Mix the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium mixing bowl, stirring thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

4. Chop the pickles and add them to the sloppy joe sauce. Set aside.

5. Heat one tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

6. Add the veggies to the meat mixture and cook, stirring from time-to-time with a heat resistant spatula, until soft and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 

7. Remove the cooked veggies. You can put them back in the small bowl.

8. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Break the meat into pieces with the spatula and stir regularly. The meat is cooked when it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Be sure to test larger pieces to ensure they are fully cooked. If there is excess grease in the pan, pour it off.

9. Lower the temperature to medium-low heat. Add the veggies back to the skillet with the meat and stir.

10. Lightly salt and pepper.

11. Pour the sauce over the ground beef mixture and stir to combine.

12. Add the drained pasta and toss making sure that everything is covered in sauce and the other ingredients are fairly evenly distributed.

13. Sprinkle approximately 3/4 of the shredded cheese over the sloppy joes and pasta and stir to combine.

14. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the surface and cover the skillet.

15. Heat until the sloppy joe mixture, pasta, and cheese are heated through and the cheese on top is melted.

Check out the recipe card for simple step-by-step directions for making this easy meal!

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Tips & Tricks

Remember that you should never pour grease from a frying pan down the drain. Try pouring it into a heatproof container instead and discard later instead of clogging up your drain.

FAQs

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

You can definitely use turkey instead of beef in this recipe, keeping the other ingredients the same.

Can I use this same recipe to make homemade sloppy joes?

You can use this recipe leaving out the pasta and cheese part to create delicious sloppy joes with that signature tangy sauce. Simply serve on traditional hamburger buns or sandwich buns, or step it up and pile the sloppy joe mixture on top of some soft brioche buns to soak up all that delicious sauce.

You can even make your own pretzel rolls using my Easy Homemade Soft and Chewy Pretzel Bread Rolls.

How can I make this a little more spicy?

If you are looking for more spice, add 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and stir once you add the sauce to the meat mixture.

This I love an easy meal with simple steps! This Easy Classic Sloppy Joe Casserole with Pasta is just one of many quick and delicious weeknight meals on the blog. Try 30 Minute Dinner: Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala Dinner and treat yourself to less mess and a quick classic.

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