Italian Sloppy Joes

Name: Italian Sloppy Joes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound ground beef; 1 pound ground pork (can also use 2 pounds ground beef, instead of beef and pork mixture); 1 cup diced onion; 2 cups diced bell peppers (we used red and green, but any color will work); 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; Fresh black pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/2 cup beef broth; 1 cup marinara sauce; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 cup water; 6 slices of mozzarella cheese; 6 brioche buns, or any type of hamburger bun you like

•Posted: Apr 12, 2024

•Dan

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Italian Sloppy Joes are an easy dinner recipe that everyone loves! An Italian twist on a sloppy joe with peppers, onions and melted mozzarella cheese. A comforting dinner that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

sloppy joe sandwich with cheese on white plate

Why You’ll Love This Italian Sloppy Joe Recipe

Sloppy Joes are an all time favorite at our house, a make ahead dinner recipe that everyone loves. These Cafeteria Sloppy Joes remind me of standing in the lunch line at school, add a side of coleslaw and fries and dinner is done!

Taking a classic recipe like a sloppy joe and giving it a twist is one of the things that we love doing when creating recipes. These Italian Sloppy Joes are so delicious and easy to make, they might actually rank above the classic recipe, in our opinion.

Make Ahead Recipe: Meal prep these sloppy joes ahead of time and warm them up in the microwave for an easy dinner.
Versatile: Add any veggies that you like to this meaty filling. Use all ground beef, or a combination of proteins.
Hearty & Comforting: This meaty filling is packed with tons of vegetables and tons of protein. Add a slice of melted mozzarella to wrap up the comfort!

How To Make

The filling for this sloppy joe recipe is so easy to make, it just takes about 15 minutes to get together. Read the post below for variations to the recipe and for some helpful tips!

ground beef, peppers and onions in a skillet — Brown ground beef and pork with peppers and onions

ground beef, peppers and onions with marinara sauce — Brown ground beef and pork with peppers and onions

BROWN THE MEAT: Brown the ground beef and the ground pork together, breaking up with a spoon into small crumbles. Cook until no pink remains and then drain any drippings from the skillet.
ADD VEGETABLES AND SEASONING: Add the onion and peppers to the skillet with the meat. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion and peppers have softened, then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
ADD SAUCE AND SIMMER: Stir in tomato paste and then pour in beef broth and marinara sauce, Worcestershire sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 5 minutes, just to warm the filling through.
ASSEMBLE: Add about 1 heaping cup of the sloppy joe mixture to the bottom of a bun and then top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. The heat from the sloppy joes will melt the cheese, or you can microwave the sandwich for 15-20 seconds.

sloppy joe sandwich with melted mozzarella cheese on plate

Variations

Like we mentioned before, you can switch up the flavors and ingredients in these Italian Sloppy Joes however you like. Stick with the basic measurements and proportions here and swap out the proteins, veggies and more!

PROTEIN: Our recipe uses a mixture of ground beef and ground pork for an Italian sausage type feel. You can use all ground beef if you like, or all ground pork. Italian sausage would also be delicious, or lighten it up with ground chicken or ground turkey.
VEGETABLES: Peppers and onions are our go to for this recipe but you can add lots of other vegetables. And of course you can omit the vegetables here if you like, too.
CHEESE: We love mozzarella cheese for these sandwiches. Provolone or would also work well, or you can omit the cheese if you like.

Can I Make Sloppy Joes In A Slow Cooker?

You can also make this sloppy joe recipe in a slow cooker. Brown the beef and pork along with the onions and peppers first, drain and then add to a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2-3.

Some of you might be wondering why you would want to take such an easy recipe like this one and make it in a crock pot, and I get it. But if you plan on transferring the sloppy joes to a crock pot when you’re done anyway, it saves you a step.

Making these Italian Sloppy Joes in a slow cooker doesn’t really do much to enhance the flavor, it’s just a matter of convenience.

sloppy joe sandwich from the top on white plate

What Sides Go Well With Sloppy Joes?

Now we’re talking about our favorite part of the meal…the sides! There are SO many different side dishes that can be served with a sloppy joe recipe, so we’ll give you some of our favorites here!