With this Sloppy Joe Casserole, the whole family is happy and satisfied with this hearty meal. Our family loves the combination of ground beef, corn, and diced tomatoes all smothered in Manwich sauce, and cheese.
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This is a complete meal that I made in a kettle and transfer to a casserole dish, top it with cheese and bake.
Think Outside of the Bun
With this recipe, you get all the BBQ flavors plus gooey cheese and we snuck in some vegetables too. Whenever I can get my whole family enjoying a hearty meal it is s good day.
If the recipe is easy too, that is a benefit for me.
Budget Friendly Meal
While there is nothing fancy about this recipe, it sure is good. This recipe is made with ingredients I already have in my pantry or freezer. In this case, I had the ground hamburger in the freezer and just had to thaw.
Ingredients used in this recipe include ground beef, onions, Manwich sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, farfalle pasta, Velveeta cheese, corn, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Casserole
All the ingredients are prepared using one pot then transferred into a 9 X 13 baking dish, topped with cheese, and baked for 20 minutes.
In a large kettle, brown the ground beef and drain off any excess grease. Add the diced onions and cook a few minutes more until translucent.
Add the liquids; Manwich sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring this to a boil and add the pasta. Stir to incorporate.
Cover with a lid and let this gently boil approximately until the pasta is al dente; approximately 12-15 minutes.
Stir in the corn. Add cubed Velveeta cheese. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let this cook until the cheese is melted. Stir to combine.
Transfer the ingredients to a 9 X 13 baking dish that has been lightly prepared with oil. Top with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Until the cheese is melty, and the casserole is starting to bubble.
Make this a One Pot Meal
Rather than transferring to a baking dish, after the Velveeta cheese has been stirred in, just add the shredded cheese on top. Cover and cook on low until the cheeses are all melted.
Make Ahead Casserole
This is one of those recipes that can be made all the way up to the baking step. Just assemble the casserole and top with the cheese.
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days before baking.
When ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature before putting in the hot oven.
Freeze the Sloppy Joe Casserole
Rather than refrigerating when assembled, this could be frozen at this point too. Just let cool and cover tightly. Freeze up to three months.
This is one of those recipes that are perfect to take to someone in need. When someone is going through a difficult time in our neighborhood, we all bring over food. They can freeze this and heat later. I always mark the baking directions on the foil with a marker.
Additionally, when I know that this will be one of many hot dishes gifted, I often pre-freeze before bringing. Make sure that it has a few layers of wrapping to protect it from freezer burn.
I like to use the disposable foil baking pans if I plan on freezing this rather than baking right away. For me, it is safer as I worry about any glass pans breaking.
When ready to bake, just place in the oven and bake at the 350 degrees Fahrenheit. However, I would add 30-45 minutes of baking time since it was frozen. You could let the casserole warm to room temperature before baking and then you could just bake the normal time.
Vegetable Options for this Casserole
I used corn in this recipe as it gives this dish a bit of a Southwestern flair. However, the corn could be swapped out or you could add a cup or two of another vegetable.
- Green Beans
- Green or Red Peppers
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Cabbage
Cheese and Pasta Options
Today, I used cheddar and mozzarella cheese in this recipe along with the Velveeta cheese. However, my son-in-law loves it when I swap out the cheddar for Pepper Jack cheese.
This is also great with Colby, Colby/Jack, and American.
Make this casserole with a bit more depth using Asiago or Gorgonzola.
Try a few and change up the taste occasionally.
As for the pasta, I used farfalle in this recipe. However, any sturdy pasta would work well. A few good choices are penne and rigatoni. When choosing pasta, it is a good practice to choose the pasta shape that has the right size to catch all the pieces of your sauce. If your sauce is hearty like this one is today, then you will want a hearty and sturdy pasta.
Sloppy Joe Casserole
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef 85-90% lean
- ½ cup Onions 1 medium diced
- 15.5 ounces Manwich sauce 1 can
- 2 ½ cups Chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces Tomatoes diced 1 can not drained
- ¾ pound Farfalle pasta or other pasta such as Penne
- 8 oz. Velveeta cheese cubed
- 1 cup Corn frozen or 1 can drained
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
text ingredients
Instructions
- In a large kettle, brown the ground beef and drain off any excess grease. Add the diced onions and cook a few minutes more until translucent.
- Add the liquids; Manwich sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring this to a boil and add the pasta. Stir to incorporate.
- Cover with a lid and let this gently boil approximately until the pasta is al dente; approximately 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in the corn. Add cubed Velveeta cheese. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let this cook until the cheese is melted. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the ingredients to a 9 X 13 baking dish that has been lightly prepared with oil. Top with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Until the cheese is melty, and the casserole is starting to bubble.
Your Own Private Notes
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Notes
Rather than transferring to a baking dish, after the Velveeta cheese has been stirred in, just add the shredded cheese on top. Cover and cook on low until the cheeses are all melted.
Make Ahead Casserole
This is one of those recipes that can be made all the way up to the baking step. Just assemble the casserole and top with the cheese.
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days before baking.
When ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature before putting in the hot oven.
Freeze the Sloppy Joe Casserole
Rather than refrigerating when assembled, this could be frozen at this point too. Just let cool and cover tightly. Freeze up to three months.
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has cooked in restaurants for over 20 years, including many larger parties. She learned to crochet when she was just 11 years old and has been crocheting ever since; over 50 years now. Over 40 years ago, she loved her first class in sewing and continues to hone her skills in quilting. Many have enjoyed the handmade gifts over the years. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.