Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole

We love making casseroles for an easy weeknight meal. They are hearty, comforting, and always loaded with simple ingredients. This Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole is one of those recipe that is on a weeknight rotation.

We love making sloppy joes because of the simple ingredients. But adding to this delicious casserole recipe makes this the ultimate sloppy joe recipe. Add your favorite sides to complete this easy dinner idea. Try these other delicious recipes, Pepperoni Pizza Sloppy Joes, Texas Toast Sloppy Joes Recipe and Easy Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes.

Why This Recipe Works

You are going to love this easy, comforting casserole recipe. It is loaded with the perfect sloppy joe recipe and topped with cornbread and cheese. This casserole cooks perfectly in a casserole dish.

This is one casserole that your kids will clean the plate. Serve with a side of salad or roasted vegetables to complete this meal.

This casserole is easy to double the recipe to make for a crowd or for a potluck. Add this easy casserole to your menu this week.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Substitutions and Addition Ideas

• Change the Meat – Change the Meat – You can make the sloppy joe with ground turkey or ground chicken. Mix ground turkey and ground beef for an easy way to use leftover meat.
• Cornbread – If you prefer to have a thicker cornbread topping, just double the cornbread mixture. You may need to cook the casserole a little longer. You can also add in slice jalapeno in the mixture to add extra flavor.
• Cheese – We used cheddar cheese but you can easily use other types of cheese. Pepper Jack Cheese or Colby Monterrey Jack Cheese would be a great option.
• Vegetables – Add in green bell pepper, diced zucchini, or chopped broccoli to sneak in additional vegetables. Slice jalapeno’s would be a great addition for an extra kick to the casserole.
• Cream Cheese – If you love the sloppy joe mixture to be extra creamy, mix in some cream cheese.
• Sloppy Joe Sauce – We liked making the sloppy joe sauce from scratch. But you can use the store bought jar if you prefer.

How to Make Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole

• Step 1 – Prepare oven and baking dish – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8X8 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.  

Step 2 – Cook ground beef, pepper and onion. – Brown the ground beef with the red bell pepper and onion in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Break up the ground beef as it cooks and the vegetables are soft. Drain off any grease from the pan. 

Step 3 – Mix in additional ingredients – Stir in the minced garlic, tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and pepper.  Bring to a low simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes,  Then remove the pan from the heat.  

Step 4 – Spread into pan – Spread the beef mixture into the bottom of the 8X8 baking pan. 

Step 5 – Make the Cornbread – Whisk together the cornbread ingredients. Mix corn muffin mix, egg, milk and vegetable oil in a medium size mixing bowl.  Stir in half of the shredded cheese.  

Step 6 – Top the sloppy joe with cornbread. – Spoon the cornbread mixture on top of the sloppy Joe mixture in the casserole dish. Then carefully spread it evenly over the top. 

Step 7 – Top with Cheese – Then top with the remaining shredded cheese.

• Step 8 – Bake casserole – Bake for 25-20 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown.  
• Step 9 – Serve and enjoy – Let the casserole set for 5-10 minutes.  Then the casserole is ready to serve and enjoy. 

Recipe Tips

• Cheese – We recommend shredding cheese from hunk cheese. It taste better and melts better in this casserole. The Pre-Shredded cheese has added ingredients that are not necessary.
• Cooking Ingredients – When combining the ingredients in the skillet we recommend allowing the ingredients to simmer. Once the mixture has simmered for about 5 minutes then it is ready to place in a casserole dish.
• Baking Dish – We used a 8×8 baking dish to make this simple casserole. You can easily double the recipe or make in two pans to freeze one.
• Topping the Sloppy Joe Mixture – Spoon the cornbread mixture on the mixture. Gently spread the cornbread mixture over the sloppy joe to make sure everything is covered.
• Baking Casserole – Bake the casserole for about 20 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown. We recommend allow the casserole to rest before serving.

Serving Suggestions

We like to keep things simple around my house. When serving this meal here are some of the easy sides that we like:

• Green Salad – This casserole is hearty so we like to keep it simple with a green salad. Load with vegetables and serve as a delicious side.
• Topping – My kids love to top the sloppy joe casserole with some sour cream.
• Roasted Vegetables – Roast some broccoli or asparagus with a delicious side. Roasted vegetables are a quick and easy side that my entire family enjoys.
• Raw Vegetables – For a sure way to get my family to eat their veggies, I like to make a vegetable tray. Make a side of homemade ranch and include some broccoli, carrots or celery.