This Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese is sure to become a weeknight favorite. The classic flavors of hearty sloppy joe sauce and gooey grilled cheese come together for a flavorful and filling meal. Not to mention, it’s easy to make.
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Just imagine the tangy, slightly sweet tomato flavor of sloppy joe sauce wrapped between two thick, buttery slices of Texas toast, melded together by gooey, creamy cheese. Talk about melt in your mouth!
If you love the classic taste of Texas toast sloppy joes, try this Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole or Sloppy Joe Sliders.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Family Favorite: Adults and kids alike are going to be requesting this classic recipe again and again.
- Ready in under 30 Minutes: Making these toasted sloppy joe cheese sandwiches is quick and easy, making it a great addition to your weeknight menu.
- Versatile Recipe: You can easily adjust the spice level and use whatever bread, cheese, and ground meat you have on hand.
Ingredients
- Ground beef: Ground beef is the base of the sloppy joe sauce. If you're not using lean ground beef, I recommend draining the grease off after cooking it.
- Green Bell Pepper, Yellow Onion, and Garlic: Green bell peppers add more savory flavor while yellow onions add a bit of sweetness and aromatics.
- Tomato sauce and Ketchup: Tomato sauce brings color and acidity to the sauce, while ketchup adds tangy sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: Adding brown sugar gives sloppy joe sauce its signature sweet taste.
- Yellow Mustard: Using yellow mustard brings more tanginess and balances out the sweetness in the other ingredients.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This sauce no one can pronounce adds an umami taste that complements the other flavors
- Seasonings: We use ground black pepper, salt, onion powder, chili powder and paprika to season our sloppy joe sauce. Feel free to experiment with smoked paprika.
- Texas Toast: Texas toast is known for its thickness. If you can’t find Texas toast, use another thickly sliced sandwich bread.
- Butter: Softening the butter makes it easier to spread onto the bread.
- Cheese: Muenster Cheese is a soft, mild cheese which melts easily while cheddar cheese adds a tangy and sharp flavor. But you can swap these out to use other cheeses if you prefer.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Substitute Meat: Try ground chicken or ground turkey for a leaner version of this sloppy joe grilled cheese recipe. You may need to add a bit of oil to the pan since these are much leaner meats.
- Spice it Up: Add a little spice to the sloppy joe sauce with a can of Rotel, green chilies, diced jalapenos, or a bit of cayenne pepper.
- Extra Fillings: Add extra fillings like bacon, sliced avocado, crispy onions, or extra cheese to your sloppy joe melt.
How to Make Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes
You’ll need two pans to make these grilled cheese sloppy joes. One for the sauce and another for the grilled cheese. Grab your favorite skillet and let’s get started.
- Step 1: Brown the Beef: Cook the ground beef over a medium-high skillet using a utensil to break up the beef into small pieces. Cook until the meat has browned, usually about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Step 2: Saute the Vegetables: Add the vegetables into the pan with the beef and continue cooking until they soften.
- Step 3: Make Sauce: Stir the tomato sauce, ketchup, and other ingredients into the beef and vegetable mixture to create that slightly sweet, tangy sauce we all love.
- Step 4: Toast the Bread: Butter each slice of Texas toast. Add it to the preheated skillet, buttered side down. Add a slice of cheddar cheese to one piece of bread and muenster to the other.
- Step 5: Finish the Sandwiches: Top one slice of toast with a heaping scoop of the sloppy joe meat sauce. Once the cheese starts to melt, assemble the sandwich.
Hint: Best Cheeses for a Grilled Cheese
Not all cheeses are easy to melt. If you're looking to swap the cheeses, be sure to look for a softer cheese with higher moisture content. Try Monterey Jack, Provolone, or Mozzarella if you don’t have Muenster or cheddar on hand.
Expert Tips
- Quickly Soften Butter: Softening butter at room temperature takes 30 to 45 minutes. Help the process along by cutting butter into pieces or grating it.
- Storing: For best results, store the sloppy joe mixture separate in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat sloppy joe sauce over the stove on low heat, or in the microwave.
- Meal Prep: Make the sloppy joe sauce ahead of time, to cut down on cooking time during the busy week. Reheat it on the stove before assembling your sandwiches.
Serving Suggestions
This grilled cheese sloppy joes are so simple and flavorful that it could replace pizza night! You could serve them at a block party or backyard cookout. Just toast the bread on the grill.
- For the ultimate comfort food meal, serve these grilled cheese sloppy joes with a side of loaded fries or baked mac and cheese. There’s no such thing as too much cheese.
- If you prefer a healthier side dish, I highly recommend these roasted potatoes and carrots.
- Enjoy leftover sloppy joe sauce on baked potatoes, over fries, or on nachos.
More Fun Weeknight Dinner Ideas
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Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ⅓ cup green bell pepper seeded and diced
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Assembly
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 8 slices Texas toast
- 4 slices muenster cheese
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until browned, breaking up the ground beef with a spatula.
- Add onions, green peppers, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until they become soft.
- Add tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt, onion powder, and paprika to the ground beef and veggies. Mix until well combined and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Butter one side of each piece of Texas toast with ½ tablespoon of butter.
- Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Place two pieces of toast, butter side down, in the griddle or skillet. Place one slice of muenster cheese on one piece of bread. Then place one slice of cheddar cheese on the other piece of bread.
- Add ¼ of the sloppy joe mixture to one slice of bread. When the cheese starts to melt. Top the sandwich with the other piece of bread. Flip and cook until cheese is completely melted.
Notes
- Cut the butter into smaller pieces to help it reach room temperature.
- Store the sauce separately in the fridge. Remember to let it cool before refrigerating.
- You can make the sloppy joe sauce ahead of time. Reheat it on the stove before assembling your sandwiches.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Ryan Allen
These sloppy joe sandwiches are one of my family's favorite dinners and disappear fast.