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This hearty and comforting Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole is easy to make and sure to satisfy the whole family. It's loaded with sloppy joe beef, sweet cornbread, and shredded cheddar cheese.
If you're craving more quick and easy casserole recipes, then be sure to try making a Chicken and Broccoli Casserole or Meatball Casserole. For more yummy cornbread recipes, try making some Barbecue Cornbread Muffins or a batch of Sweet Potato Cornbread.
If you've just made it home from a long day at work before realizing that you still have to prepare dinner for your family?
I know the last thing that you want to do is spend time making something overly complicated that requires multiple ingredients and dishes. And let's not even get started on the hassle of cleaning up afterward. It's no wonder we prefer ordering a pizza or take-out and calling it a night.
But if you prefer to cook something that's super simple and requires very little effort, then let me tell you right now that there are a few dinners that you can whip up in minutes and sloppy joes just so happens to be one of them.
Now making sloppy joe the good old-fashioned way is perfectly acceptable, but this sloppy joe cornbread casserole recipe puts a new twist on an old classic by adding corn, cornbread, and cheese!
Let's get started!
Sloppy Joe Bake Ingredients
- Cornbread Mix - Use any box of cornbread mix that you prefer. You may select a savory or sweet version, but I prefer to use a single box of regular Jiffy cornbread mix/Jiffy corn muffin mix for this recipe. It's a little sweet but balances out the rest of the ingredients really well.
- Cheddar Cheese - Adds a sharp and cheesy flavor to the hearty cornbread as well as topping the casserole. You may grab the pre-shredded bag of cheese, but I prefer to shred a bulk/block of cheddar using a box grater because it melts better and doesn't contain any additional ingredients.
- Milk - Use whole milk to make the sweet cornbread crust that serves as the base of the casserole.
- Egg - A single large egg is all that's needed to make the delicious cornbread and help it bind together.
- Corn - A single can of cream-style corn is added to the cornbread batter to bulk it up and add an additional vegetable with a slight amount of sweetness. This ingredient also helps the casserole to come together.
- Sloppy Joe Sauce - You may use a can of premade sloppy joe sauce or make your own.
- Ground Beef - Try to use a pound of lean ground beef to mix with the sloppy joe sauce to create the meaty portion of the casserole.
- Butter - Needed to saute the onion and bell pepper and add a nice buttery flavor to the delicious sloppy joe casserole. If you prefer to substitute with oil instead or omit it, then you may do that as well.
- Onion - Select any yellow onion or a white onion to add to the hot beef mixture for additional earthly flavor.
- Bell Pepper - Chop a green bell pepper to saute along with the onion to add to the beef mixture. If you know anything about sloppy joe, then you know that bell pepper is a classic component. You may substitute with red bell pepper instead if you prefer or use a combination of both green and red.
Optional Ingredients
These ingredients are not required if you want to keep the recipe simple, but if you want to add more flavor, these are a few options:
- Spices - Add more spices to the meat mixture to make it more to your taste. Try adding in a little bit of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, or cayenne pepper.
- Savory - To give the meat mixture a more savory and umami flavor, add some Worcestershire sauce.
- Cheese - I prefer using sharp cheddar cheese, but feel free to use any that you prefer such as Monterey jack, pepper jack, or gouda cheese.
- Toppings - Before placing the casserole on the dinner table to serve, top it with some chopped green onions, freshly chopped herbs, pickled red onions, or jalapeno peppers.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
Begin the casserole recipe by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. and lightly spraying a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the box of Jiffy mix, half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, milk, egg, and a whole can of cream-style corn.
Stir well until combined.
Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Place it into the preheated oven to bake for about 15 minutes, until it begins to softly set.
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While the cornbread base is baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the diced onions and bell pepper.
Cook until it begins to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pound of ground beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat/oil if necessary.
Add half of the can of sloppy joe sauce to the pan along with the beef and cook until it is heated thoroughly. Carefully remove the golden brown cornbread from the oven and use a fork to prick holes all over the top of the cornbread.
Pour the remaining half of the sloppy joe sauce evenly over the top of the cornbread.
Evenly add the ground beef mixture over the baked cornbread and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Return the casserole to the oven to bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve the sloppy joe casserole while it is still warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a box of your favorite cornbread mixture. I prefer to use an 8.5-ounce box for a thinner cornbread crust, but you may also use a 15-ounce mix as well for a thicker cornbread layer.
- Try not to overcook the cornbread mixture, it will finish cooking once the sloppy joe meat is added and it's returned to the oven.
- A traditional sloppy joe is made with ground beef, but you may substitute it with a pound of ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
Storage
Storage. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating. Reheat the easy sloppy joe casserole in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees F. until warm or in the microwave for a quicker option.
Freezing. This casserole can also be stored in the freezer for up to a month. Remove it from the freezer the night before you're ready to serve to allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat in the oven as normal and have some additional sloppy joe sauce on hand to add if needed.
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Have any comments, questions, or other delicious ideas and ways to serve this Sloppy Joe Casserole Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 large skillet or braiser
- 1 9x13-inch rectangle baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 8.5 ounces cornbread mix
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 can cream-style sweet corn (14.75 ounces)
- 1 24 ounces sloppy joe sauce, divided in half
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup yellow or white onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped into smaller pieces
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Begin the casserole recipe by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. and lightly spraying a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the 8.5 ounce box of Jiffy mix, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup whole milk, 1 large egg, and a (14.75 ounces) whole can of cream-style corn. Stir well until combined.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish. Place it into the preheated oven to bake for about 15 minutes, until it begins to softly set.
- While the cornbread base is baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the 1 tablespoon butter. Once the butter has melted, add the ½ cup diced onion and 1 large bell pepper.
- Cook until it begins to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pound of ground beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat/oil if necessary.
- Add half of the 24 ounce can of sloppy joe sauce to the pan, about 12 ounces along with the 1 pound beef and cook until it is heated thoroughly. Carefully remove the golden brown cornbread from the oven and use a fork to prick holes all over the top of the cornbread.
- Pour the remaining half (12 ounces) of the sloppy joe sauce evenly over the top of the cornbread. Evenly add the ground beef mixture over the baked cornbread and top with 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese.
- Return the casserole to the oven to bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve the sloppy joe casserole while it is still warm. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use a box of your favorite cornbread mixture. I prefer to use an 8.5-ounce box for a thinner cornbread crust, but you may also use a 15-ounce mix as well for a thicker cornbread layer.
- Try not to overcook the cornbread mixture, it will finish cooking once the sloppy joe meat is added and it's returned to the oven.
- A traditional sloppy joe is made with ground beef, but you may substitute it with a pound of ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
Original post date 04/09/2015. Updated 04/02/2018, 10/20/2022, and 07/10/2024.
Tony says
Brought it to a pig roast as a side dish...poof gone! Should have made two lol. Will try for a quick dinner some night! Lightly caramelized the onion and bell pepper, used a bit more than the recipe called for with some "jarlic"...removed it, browned the beef(85/15) a bit and returned it with sloppy joe sauce to finish. Used a 15 oz Krusteaz mix, perfect amount. Thinking banana pepper in the sloppy joe mix at the end. Definitely finished with green onion and need to make two 13x9 next time. Good recipe find!
LaKita says
Thank you so much Tony! Happy to hear that you enjoyed the sloppy joe casserole and thank you for sharing your recipe variations 🙂
Mary Hutchens says
It's just my son and I he's a truck driver and I stay home and do nothing but look for great recipes. I run short on food and money but I always buy sloppy joe and I always cook a pan of cornbread it's about the cheapest thing to buy now days. I ran across your recipe and I can't wait to try it. I figured the meat would be thawed by tomorrow evening so I can have a surprise for my son I think he will love it and know I will
LaKita says
Hi Mary! I'm glad to hear that you stumbled on the casserole recipe and I hope that you had a chance to give it a try. It's a great affordable option!
Katy says
4.5⭐️My family really loved this Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole!! Ate the whole 9x13”, much to my chagrin. Had hoped for leftovers for a second night! Very tasty and pretty easy to make. Maybe a little too sweet for my taste, probably from the creamy sweet corn, but they all loved it and definitely want to see it in the rotation.
LaKita says
Thank you so much Katy! Leftovers for this recipe rarely happen in my home too 😉
ramona says
This is such a delicious recipe and it is definitely a common comfort food! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try it out!
LaKita says
Thank you Ramona! I agree, so comforting.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
2 amazing comfort foods combined to create one killer casserole! This was so SO good! Definitely a keeper!
LaKita says
Thank you Lori, the perfect combination 🙂
Dani says
A sloppy joe casserole is like the ultimate comfort food and your recipe hit the spot. Everyone loved it.
LaKita says
Thank you Dani and I agree the ultimate comfort food!
Tristin says
My kids loved this spin on sloppy joes! It was pretty easy to put together and will be added into the dinner rotation.
LaKita says
Thank you Tristin, happy to hear your kids loved it!
Katie Crenshaw says
This was so easy to make and turned out so delicious. It is the perfect comfort meal for the cold months. I will be adding this to my regular rotation.
LaKita says
Thank you Katie, so great for the colder months!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
I have not had a sloppy Joe in ages. What a brilliant idea to make a casserole out of it especially with cornbread. A beautiful pairing all in one dish with gooey melted cheddar. A must try for us busy working class!
LaKita says
Thank you so much, definitely a great quick to make meal 🙂
Ann says
This dish was delicious! My family loved it and requested I make it again! Thanks for the share! Will definitely make this again!
LaKita says
Thank you so much Ann, glad to hear it!
Veronika says
Love this recipe! It was so easy to make and I loved the flavor combination. Going to make it again this weekend for the family dinner.
LaKita says
Thank you Veronika, glad you enjoyed the casserole!
Lauren Michael Harris says
What an interesting combination! I haven't had sloppy joe in forever, but I've been craving it lately. So glad I came across this recipe - can't wait to try it!
LaKita says
Thank you so much Lauren, hope you enjoy!
Gloria says
Sloppy Joes and cornbread combined together. Awesome. My family will love this for dinner one night this week.
LaKita says
Thank you Gloria, it is a great pairing!
Tamara says
I read this and then reached for the phone to call my husband because it's cold and rainy here (expected to warm up finally tomorrow) and I am craving comfort food badly.
admin says
Awesome! Well this recipe will surely provide some comfort and warmth, but I am glad to hear that things will be warming up your way tomorrow.
Sonya says
This looks yummy!!! I'm a big fan of cornbread and miss it a lot since I've been trying to eliminate corn from my diet. However, this would be a must make if I was eating corn. I recently found that cream of buckwheat is a good subsitute for grits. So I've been happily eating my faux grits the past couple of days.
admin says
Thank you so much! I love cornbread as well and unfortunately there really is no substitute is there...sorry...I have cut things out of my diet as well so I completely understand...but faux grits now that sounds very interesting.