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Home » Recipes » Main Dish » Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes

Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes

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Recipe Cost $6.65
Recipe Serving Cost $1.11
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes are what your comfort food dreams are made of! This recipe serves 6 and costs $6.65 to make. That's just $1.11 per serving!  via @easybudgetrecipes

Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes are what your comfort food dreams are made of! This recipe serves 6 and costs $6.65 to make. That’s just $1.11 per serving! 

A close up picture of a grilled cheese with text overlay for social media.

I think there are a couple of staple items that if you add them to any meal it takes the meal to the next level. One of those items is cheese! For example, spaghetti plain is boring. Add cheese and it’s amazing! Or what about a ham sandwich? No ham sandwich is complete without some cheese on it. Or adding cheese to chili? It’s the best! 

So along those lines, we were looking at our classic Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe, and thought, how can we make this recipe better? The answer was obvious! Add cheese! Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese?! Can you even with this recipe? 

We are bringing two classic recipes together for a perfect marriage. Combining a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with our Sloppy Joe recipe just made dinner get a lot more satisfying! We want to introduce you to our Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joe Sandwich! 

3 grilled cheese sandwiches on a wooden cutting board.

Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes Recipe Questions Answered:

Is cheese good on Sloppy Joes?

Oh, baby you better believe cheese is good on top of Sloppy Joes. The melted cheese on top of the delicious Sloppy Joe mixture in between two perfectly crusty pieces of French bread is what dreams are made of. It takes a plain grilled cheese to the next level. Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself!

What side dish goes with Sloppy Joe?

  • Chicken Pasta Salad  *Pro-tip: Leave out the chicken when serving as a side dish 
  • French Fries
  • Fruit Salad
  • Green Beans Almondine
  • Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
  • Potato Chips

Do you drain the meat for Sloppy Joes?

Yes, you will want to drain the meat after cooking it. This is a good habit to be in when cooking meat. Draining the meat helps remove the extra grease and fat that gathers in the pan from the meat while cooking it. 

Close up picture of grilled cheese sloppy joes.

How to Make Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes Recipe:

  1. First, make the filling by adding oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. After the oil is simmering, reduce the heat to medium and add onions and salt to saute them. Stir them often until they begin to brown around the edges and are translucent. 
  2. Next, stir in garlic powder and chili powder and cook for about 20 seconds. 
  3. Then add in the beef and use the back of a wooden spoon to break the meat apart. Cook the meat until it is almost browned all the way through. 
  4. Next mix in the brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Then simmer the mixture until the sauce has thickened and season with pepper. 
  5. Now you can prep the sandwiches by first cutting 12 slices of 1-inch thick bread from the French bread loaf.
  6. Then brush the top side of each slice of bread with melted butter. Turn over 6 slices of bread and evenly distribute the sloppy joe filling among them. 
  7. Next, top the sloppy joe filling with 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese and then cover with the remaining bread slices with the buttered side up. 
  8. To finish the sandwiches off, heat large nonstick skillet for 1 minute. Carefully place 2 sandwiches in the pan and cook until the first side is golden brown. Flip the sandwiches over, press lightly with your spatula, and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat the process with the remaining sandwiches. 

How to get the kids involved with this recipe:

  • Ages 2-3: Let them help brush the bread slices with melted butter and sprinkle the cheese over the sandwiches. 
  • Ages 4-5: Have them help measure the ingredients and mix the Sloppy Joe mixture. They can also brush the pieces of bread with melted butter. 
  • Ages 6-8: Let them help cook the Sloppy Joe mixture and spoon it onto the bread. 
  • Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe. 
  • Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!

Discover why we love getting the kids involved in the kitchen and more tips in our How to Get Kids Involved In Cooking article.

2 grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other.

The flavor and Recipe Variations:

  • For a healthier option substitute ground turkey for the ground beef. 
  • For a version without cheese see our classic Homemade Sloppy Joe recipe. 

More comfort Main Dish recipes like this one: 

  • 20-Minute Thai Peanut Noodles
  • BBQ Chicken Braid
  • Cheesy Baked Spaghetti
  • Easy Baked Pork Chops with Apples
  • Easy Beef Chili
  • Italian Harvest Soup
  • Jenna’s Chicken Pillows
  • Katie’s Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Meatball Subs

How long is this good for:

  • Serve: These can stay at room temperature for up to 2 hours before they need to be refrigerated. 
  • Store: Leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 225-degree F oven until heated through. 
  • Freeze: Cooked and cooled sandwiches can be frozen in Ziploc freezer bags for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then place it in a 225-degree F oven until heated through. 

How much will this cost:

RECIPE COST: $6.65

PRICE PER SERVING: $1.11

To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil – $0.03
  • 1/2 large yellow onion – $0.31
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder – $0.03
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder – $0.01
  • 3/4 pound lean ground beef – $2.70
  • 3/4 teaspoon light brown sugar – $0.01
  • 2/3 cup canned tomato puree – $0.48
  • 1/4 cup ketchup – $0.22
  • 2.5 Tablespoons water – $0
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce – $0.01
  • black pepper to taste – $0.01
  • 1 loaf French Bread – $0.95
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese – $1.28 
  • 6 Tablespoons butter – $0.60

Picture collage of grilled cheese sloppy joes for Pinterest.

Cook’s Tools:

  • large skillet
  • wooden spoon
  • pastry brush
  • spatula
Grilled cheese sloppy joes stacked on a wooden cutting board.
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5 from 5 votes

Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese

Recipe Cost $6.65
Recipe Serving Cost $1.11
Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes are what your comfort food dreams are made of! This recipe serves 6 and costs $6.65 to make. That's just $1.11 per serving!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheese, comfort food, ground beef
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 531kcal
Author: Easy Budget Recipes Original!

Equipment

  • large skillet
  • Wooden spoon
  • pastry brush
  • spatula

Ingredients

FILLING:

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ large yellow onion chopped fine
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¾ pound lean ground beef
  • ¾ teaspoon light brown sugar
  • ⅔ cup canned tomato puree
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 ½ Tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • black pepper to taste

SANDWICHES:

  • 1 loaf French bread
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese freshly shredded
  • 6 Tablespoons butter melted
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

MAKE FILLING:

  • In a large skillet add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is simmering, reduce heat to medium and add onions and salt and sauté, stirring often, until onions are translucent and beginning to brown around the edges, about 6-10 minutes.
  • Stir in garlic powder and chili powder and cook until fragrant, bout 20 seconds.
  • Add in beef and use the back of a wooden spoon to break the meat apart. Cook until the meat is almost browned all the way through.
  • Stir in brown sugar, tomato puree, ketchup, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the mixture until the sauce has thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Season mixture with pepper.
    Add the ketchup and other ingredients to the ground beef.

PREP SANDWICHES:

  • Cut 12 slices of bread from the French bread loaf that are each about 1-inch thick.
  • Brush the top side of each slice of bread with melted butter. Turn over 6 slices of bread and evenly distribute the sloppy joe filling among them.
    Brush the bread with melted butter.
  • Top the sloppy joe filling with 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese. Cover with the remaining bread slices, with the buttered side up.
    Place the cheese and top piece of bread on top and grill until melted.
  • Over medium-low heat, heat a large nonstick skillet for 1 minute.
  • Carefully place 2 sandwiches in the pan. Cook until the first side is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Flip the sandwiches over, press lightly with your spatula, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining sandwiches.
    Grill until golden brown on both sides.
  • Slice and serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 962mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 952IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 365mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you love this recipe?We'd love to hear from you follow us on Instagram @EasyBudgetRecipes and let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
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Related

Filed Under: $10 Recipes, Main Dish Tagged With: butter, cheddar cheese, chili powder, french bread, garlic powder, ground beef, ground black pepper, ketchup, light brown sugar, salt, tomato puree, vegetable oil, water, Worcestershire sauce, yellow onion

Previous Post: « Skillet Lasagna
Next Post: BBQ Chicken Braid »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dale Steele Nicolov

    February 16, 2020 at 2:55 am

    These look delicious and so cost efficient!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 17, 2020 at 10:43 pm

      They are definitely both of those! Enjoy!

  2. LaVerna McMahon

    February 16, 2020 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    Looks like a great recipe for a Friday night dinner!Can’t wait to make this.

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 17, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      You will love it!! Enjoy!

  3. LaVerna McMahon

    February 16, 2020 at 7:20 am

    Great addition to the grilled cheese family!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 17, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      Agreed! Thank you!

  4. Doris Huddleston

    February 16, 2020 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    I love sloppy joes and I love grilled cheese sandwiches, so what a combination! I can’t wait to try this recipe for myself!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 17, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      Please let us know how it goes after you try it!

  5. Amber Albertson

    February 18, 2020 at 10:41 am

    5 stars
    These are my families favorite! We always make these the next day with our leftover sloppy joe meat

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 18, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      That’s such a great idea!!

  6. Kim

    February 18, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    This sounds soo easy to make and delish!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 18, 2020 at 10:39 pm

      We had it for dinner tonight and we had no leftovers!

  7. Lori Padgett

    February 18, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    What a great idea! We love grilled cheese and sloppy joes. Never thought of putting them together. will definitely be trying this!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 18, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      You will love it!

  8. wilhelmina

    February 19, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    This is like getting the best of both worlds! My family gives it two thumbs up!

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 19, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      Right?! So happy your family loves it!

  9. Lisalia

    February 20, 2020 at 12:49 am

    5 stars
    So delicious and what a great way to combine two of our favorite dinner ideas! Thank you for the easy and wallet friendly dinner.

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 20, 2020 at 11:14 am

      Thank you so much for your feedback!

  10. Lori Bahn

    February 20, 2020 at 6:59 pm

    These look so delicious. Definitely going to try with the family.

    Reply
    • Jess Jankowski

      February 20, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      It has quickly become a family favorite for us!

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Beth, Jill, and Jess of Easy Budget Recipes

We’re Beth, Jill, and Jess, and we’re the team of sisters-in-law behind Easy Budget Recipes!

Combined, we have over 50 years of cooking, meal planning, and budgeting experience. Each of our recipes serves at least six people, and we have broken down the cost of every recipe for you so that it’s easier to budget your shopping list every week!

We’re so glad that you’re here. Find out more ABOUT US!

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