This past weekend we celebrated my sweet baby boy. Who is somehow, inexplicably, 4 years old. (Or will be in a couple of days. We had the birthday party early…) He’s still my cute, sweet, silly, cuddly little boy, but oh my, he has grown. I’m trying to keep up, trying to do this motherhood thing the best that I can and trying also to slow down, to appreciate those small moments, to revel in the fact that he still wants to sit in my lap as we read books and to have me hold him up the stairs at bedtime. These moments, these days, they will be lost to time. So for now, I will try to open my eyes and see and live each one as much as I am able. That’s all there is, right? Whew, OK, enough deep thoughts for a Monday. The food is calling and you don’t want to miss it…
This cheesy sloppy Joe casserole has a layer of rich, flavorful turkey sloppy Joe’s, topped with plenty of melty cheese and thick slices of bread that make for a crusty topping - such a delicious family dinner! Admittedly, my husband was a little doubtful the first time I made this. He’s fine with traditional sloppy Joe’s and probably wondered why I had to go and mess with them. But he was impressed when we sat down and dug into this! He said he loved how hearty it was with the thick toasted bread slices. And the cheesy layer was of course a hit with the kids! #justaddcheese I love how the bread gets crusty on top, while the bottom of the bread, that’s against the cheese and sloppy Joe mixtures, softens. It makes for a delicious bite! Plus, this is all you need:
That’s just my regular ground turkey sloppy Joe mix (you can of course use ground beef or your favorite recipe), some shredded cheddar cheese (we opt for white cheddar) and some French bread. You won’t need the whole loaf for this recipe so you can save some extra and everyone can fight for a piece to be able to sop up the juicy, rich sloppy Joe mix left in the casserole dish. So. Much. YUM! If you love comfort food like this, note that I also want to check out this bacon cheeseburger pasta from Amanda’s Cooking and this easy homemade hamburger helper from A Mind"full" Mom. (I feel confident you can sub ground turkey for either of those if you want to!) Let’s watch the layering progression here for the sloppy Joe’s casserole…
And voila! The final baked beauty:
A few notes on this cheesy sloppy Joe casserole:
I use ground turkey for my sloppy Joe’s, but you can substitute ground beef if you prefer. Just make sure to drain off any extra grease. I use a loaf of French bread, but you could substitute your favorite type of bread here. Or do biscuits! You can spice this up with the jalapeño (leave some of the membranes and seeds in) and more sriracha sauce or you can omit or reduce those for less heat. You can make the full recipe in an 8x12 inch casserole dish or do half the recipe in an 8x8 inch pan. You can prep this ahead! You can make the sloppy Joe’s mixture and shred the cheese and then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Then you just need to assemble the casserole, add the bread and put it in the oven!
We love this served with a side salad or some sautéed spinach or kale for a veggie side. I hope you give this yummy casserole a try! XO, Kathryn
I use ground turkey for my sloppy Joe’s, but you can substitute ground beef if you prefer. Just make sure to drain off any extra grease. I use a loaf of French bread, but you could substitute your favorite type of bread here. Or use biscuits! You can spice this up with the jalapeño (leave some of the membranes and seeds in) and more sriracha sauce or you can omit or reduce those for less heat. You can make the full recipe in an 8x12 inch casserole dish or do half the recipe in an 8x8 inch pan. You can prep this ahead! You can make the sloppy Joe’s mixture and shred the cheese and then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Then you just need to assemble the casserole, add the bread and put it in the oven!
