I know I’ve said it before. I don’t really “get” casseroles! Cook a bunch of good food, mix it together and recook it! But even I get how nice it is to pull a pan of hot, bubbly, and cheesy deliciousness out of the oven, plop it on the table and call “Dinner!” And when “Dinner” was this Sloppy Joe Casserole, everyone would come running, especially my son!
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Now that I’m at the folk’s house helping them out for a while, I thought I’d see if my Sloppy Joe Casserole would have the same effect. My fave octogenarians didn’t do any running, but they loved this Sloppy Joe Casserole! There’s something about the Sloppy Joe Casserole that seems more like a “meal” than just Sloppy Joes, as delish as they are. It’s like one of those recipes where the sum equals more than the parts. A bit of magical alchemy.
About Sloppy Joe Casserole:
If you’ve never had your Sloppy Joes in a casserole form, let me talk you through it. There’s a cornbread base, either homemade or from a box and it’s literally smothered with spicy/sweet Sloppy Joes & of course, cheese. Two kinds of cheese. Coz who doesn’t love cheese?!
The cornbread and the Sloppy Joe mixture both have distinct layers, but the cornbread kind of rises up and into that Sloppy Joe forming an amazing amalgamation of flavor. (Sorry, I can never resist a good alliteration!) and then that Cheese just ties everything all together into an ooey-gooey mass of loveliness.
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Making Sloppy Joe Casserole:
I based the Sloppy Joes in my Sloppy Joe Casserole off these off my fave Essential Sloppy Joes recipe. I love that recipe – it’s fast and easy and so delish. I upped the heat in the Sloppy Joe part of the recipe to balance out the cornbread base and all that cheese but it’s still very kid-friendly. You can be the judge and add as little or as much spice as you’d like.
My home-made cornbread base is the bomb. There’s creamed corn in place of some of the milk and buttermilk in my original recipe along with extra cheese. That cornbread itself is super delish and super moist but still sturdy enough to make a great base layer.
And I didn’t forget the veggies – see there’s green onion, lol! Seriously, there is also tomato, peppers, and onion in the Sloppy Joes and a little extra corn in the cornbread. Talk about a sneaky way to get in at least a few veggies – if you’re thinking about your kids, or if you’re like me and thinking about my fave octogenarians, my folks! One of them will not touch a veggie so I’m always glad to sneak in any.
Shortcut this Casserole:
If you want to shortcut and use a cornbread mix, the instructions are in the recipe. If you want to shortcut the Sloppy Joe layer with a packet, pouch or can, that works, too. Just sayin’.
Essential Sloppy Joes
Saving Money on Sloppy Joe Casserole:
You could hardly find a more hearty meal at a frugal price! Look for cheese on sale, especially when there are coupons and Catalina deals (buy so many, get a coupon to use for a future purchase) – chuck it in the freezer for dishes like this.
Buy larger portions of ground beef on sale and divide & freeze. Stock up on condiments during the summer months (or Superbowl week) when they’re at the low for the year.
Sloppy Joes freeze so very well, think about doubling them when you make a batch. Then pull them out of the freezer when you want to make this casserole. You’ll look like a hero! Plus this Sloppy Joe Casserole is a great alternative when you’re thinking about Sloppy Joes but have no buns in the house! Been there…
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Sloppy Joe Casserole
You can make this casserole with homemade sloppy joes & homemade cornbread or use a mix for either or both the sloppy joes & the cornbread,
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cornbread Base:
- 1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
- 1 cup of flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons sugar (that’s 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese (plus another cup for topping, listed below under Assembly) *
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Sloppy Joe Portion:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- dash or two of tabasco
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt and pepper to taste
The Rest of the Ingredients & Assembly:
- 1 cup of shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese (1/2 of each, Cheddar & Jack rather than a blend makes it very attractive)
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
Instructions
Cornbread Base:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder & soda, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of cheese. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, creamed corn and butter. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread to an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set.
While the cornbread is baking, make the Sloppy Joes.
Sloppy Joe Portion:
Brown hamburger, along with onion and bell pepper, until no longer pink. Drain off fat. Add the rest of ingredients, stirring well. Bring to a simmer and stir now and then for 10 minutes or so until desired moisture level is reached. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.
The Rest of the Ingredients & Assembly:
Remove the cornbread from the oven and use a fork to prick holes over the cornbread. Pour Sloppy Joe mixture over cornbread. Bake for about 10 minutes, then add cheese. Return to the oven and continue to bake another five to 10 minutes until the cornbread is done and cheese is melted.
Top with the green onions before serving.
I prefer to use part cheddar and part jack rather than a combo simply because I think it looks prettier to sprinkle first one kind across the top and then the other, but a mixture of both is fine, too.
Note: If desired, use a cornbread mix for the dry ingredients and mix with the stated wet ingredients. A 15 ounce can of Sloppy Joe mix may be used with the ground beef, onion, and pepper instead of stated items in the sauce.
Keywords: Bargain Meal of the Week, Bell Peppers, Casserole, Cheese, Corn, cornbread, cornmeal, creamed corn, Ground Beef, Sloppy Joes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 9.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 428 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 20 g | 31 % |
| Saturated Fat 9 g | 47 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 2 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 107 mg | 36 % |
| Sodium 830 mg | 35 % |
| Potassium 327 mg | 9 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 42 g | 14 % |
| Dietary Fiber 4 g | 14 % |
| Sugars 10 g | |
| Protein 21 g | 43 % |
| Vitamin A | 8 % |
| Vitamin C | 1 % |
| Calcium | 16 % |
| Iron | 19 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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Click over to our latest Throwback Thursday post for links to their blogs and social media, rules and more info or, as always, to see all the links or add your own, click on the little blue frog, below.
As always, to view the links (there’s a photo of each post) or to add your own, click on the little blue frog, below!
As always to view or add a link, click the blue frog, below!
And, as I do almost every Friday, I’ll be linking up to Angie’s Fiesta Friday – this is Number 135, hosted this week by Jhuls @ thenotsocreativecook and Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen. It’s also become a ritual to link up to Saucy Saturdays! What a fun group of bloggers and I love that they feature a “new” blogger every week.
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