Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes

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! 

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! 

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. 

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.

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

Cook’s Tools:

• large skillet
• wooden spoon
• pastry brush
• spatula

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Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese

Recipe Cost 6.65

Serving Cost 1.11

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

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!

Servings: 6 people

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Equipment

• large skillet
• Wooden spoon
• pastry brush
• spatula

Ingredients

 

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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.
  

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.
  
• Top the sloppy joe filling with 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese. Cover with the remaining bread slices, with the buttered side up.
  
• 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.
  
• 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

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