Description
This easy Sloppy Joe casserole combines seasoned ground beef, colorful bell peppers, and a thick homemade sweet-and-tangy sauce with melted cheddar cheese and buttery sesame-topped slider buns. It bakes in a 9×13-inch dish and is ready in 45 minutes.
Ingredients
2 ½ pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth, low sodium
1 cup ketchup
½ cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 slider buns or dinner rolls
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F and lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet or pot over medium heat add the ground beef, onion, and bell peppers.
- Brown the beef, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
- Once the beef is cooked through, drain the fat from the beef.
- Return the beef back to the pot and add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for an additional minute or 2, stirring to coat the meat in the tomato paste.
- Add the broth, ketchup, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper and stir together.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to keep a simmer. Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the shredded cheese.
- Place the bottom of the buns on top of the cheese. Bake for about 5-6 or so minutes or until the top of the bottom of the buns are lightly toasted.
- Remove from the oven briefly and top with the top half of the buns.
- Brush the top of the top buns with the butter and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for an additional 5-6 minutes or until the top buns are toasted and the cheese has melted fully.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Notes
If you don’t simmer the mixture after adding all the liquids it will be too soupy. You need to simmer the sauce so it reduces and gets a thick sloppy joe like consistency before adding it to the casserole dish.
You can use dinner rolls, cut in half or slider buns.
Adding cheese to this helps the bottom of the bottom bun not get soggy so fast while baking. Toasting both the tops of the bottom and top buns help the buns stay together for longer too.
This dish won’t save well as the buns will get soggy.
If you have leftovers, store the buns separate from the meat mixture, if you can.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop and Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American