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Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

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40 minutes
39 Comments
5 from 6 votes
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Think of your favorite sloppy joe mix with your favorite cornbread and then put it all together. That is exactly what you are going to get with this amazing cornbread sloppy joe casserole recipe.
Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

When I was little my mom would cook all sorts of different casseroles, and now as a mom, I completely understand why! You can get all of your major food groups normally into one dish. Pop it in the oven and you are good to go.

One of my kids’ favorite meals is sloppy Joes. They never complain when I make it. But, let’s be real, we can only eat sloppy Joes so many times a month. Hahaha. 

So, we tried putting it all together and this beautiful casserole creation was born. My kids are happy and I get to eat something *slightly* different. Talk about a win win situation! 

Ingredients for Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

Ingredient Notes

  • Ground beef
  • Red onion
  • Red bell pepper
  • Brown sugar
  • Red wine vinegar
  • BBQ seasoning
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Tomato sauce 
  • Box of Jiffy corn muffin mix (like THESE ones)
  • Egg
  • Vegetable oil
  • Milk
  • Shredded cheddar cheese 

How To Make Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Add ground beef. When meat is browned, add onions and peppers.
Ground beef, onions and peppers in skillet
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, prepare BBQ sauce by mixing together brown sugar, vinegar, BBQ seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.
Medium mixing bowl with sauce ingredients
  1. When vegetables are tender, add BBQ sauce to skillet, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 more minutes and let the mixture thicken up a little bit.
Sauce added to skillet with meat mixture
  1. During that time, stir together corn muffin mix, egg, oil, and milk. It will be a little lumpy.
Corn Muffin mixture in mixing bowl
  1. Once the beef mixture has thickened up a little bit, spoon it into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Pour the cornbread mixture evenly on top.
Corn Muffin mixture on top of meat and sauce mixtures
  1. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with cheese. Let cheese melt for a couple of minutes and then serve.
Shredded cheese on top of Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

Storing and Other Tips

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave.

While using a box of jiffy mix is super easy and convenient, if you want to make your own cornbread from scratch you could.

Could I make this Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole using ground turkey?

If you are not a huge ground beef fan, you could also use ground turkey. I have used ground turkey and it still tastes great, but for the best flavor, we recommend using ground beef.

I have never used ground chicken for making this recipe, but I would probably stick to ground beef or ground turkey on this one.

A spoon in the Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole skillet

Serving Suggestions

A slice of Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole on a plate

Cornbread Sloppy Joe Casserole

5 from 6 votes
Think of your favorite sloppy Joe mix with your favorite cornbread and then put it all together.
Serving6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon BBQ seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 8.5 ounce Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Add ground beef. When meat is browned, add onions and peppers.
  3. In a medium-sized bowl, prepare BBQ sauce by mixing together brown sugar, vinegar, BBQ seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.
  4. When vegetables are tender, add BBQ sauce to skillet, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 more minutes and let the mixture thicken up a little bit.
  5. During that time, stir together corn muffin mix, egg, oil, and milk. It will be a little lumpy.
  6. Once the beef mixture has thickened up a little bit, spoon it into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Pour the cornbread mixture evenly on top.
  7. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with cheese. Let cheese melt for a couple of minutes and then serve.

Notes

If you’re not a fan of cornbread, biscuits would be a great replacement.

Nutrition

Calories: 333 kcal · Carbohydrates: 16 g · Protein: 18 g · Fat: 22 g · Saturated Fat: 10 g · Cholesterol: 92 mg · Sodium: 529 mg · Potassium: 592 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 12 g · Vitamin A: 1149 IU · Vitamin C: 32 mg · Calcium: 147 mg · Iron: 4 mg
Cuisine: American
Cost: $10
Author: Steph Loaiza
Course: Main Course
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Published: February 8, 2024Updated: July 2, 2024

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Questions & Reviews

  1. Cheryl T Moulthrop says:
    Beautiful family pictures. Your children are adorable. Thank you for the recipes. I have been clipping and saving many of them. This looks like a great variation on my favorite SLoppy Joe recipe from when my kids were young and I had a houseful of hungry teenagers to feed. My kids are grown now and I am a grandma.
  2. Stephanie C. says:
    Can you make this in a Crockpot? My oven is horrible and I do most of my cooking in a Chef's or a Crockpot. Please help!!!
  3. Scary says:
    This looks SOOOOO good! I love taking two recipes that I love and putting them together. I love both tamales and sloppy joes so this recipe is right up my alley. Thanks for another great recipe idea. With Love, Scary
  4. Cyd says:
    We have not tried it in the crock pot. You would have to consider each step and adjust the recipe to a crock pot. Let us know if you attempt it! :)
  5. Sunshine says:
    Not a fan of cornbread, think I could use refrigerated biscuits placed over the meat mixture???
  6. Cyd says:
    Biscuits would work great over the meat mixture.
  7. Hannah says:
    Would apple cider vinegar/white wine vinegar work in place of the red wine vinegar?
  8. capturing joy with kristen duke says:
    this casserole looks great, never heard of it! also love your family pics, it's a twice a year thing for us sometimes....ha! tell him that and he'll feel much better about every other year.
  9. Cyd says:
    It would work, but would alter the taste of the recipe.
  10. Jessica says:
    This recipe was very easy. I substituted apple cider vinegar and mesquite seasoning, and it was great. It also reheated well.
  11. Kristen says:
    This recipe was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
  12. Meghan says:
    Are there any changes you would have to do if you decided to make a large amount and then freeze it?
  13. jessica pickett says:
    You read my mind meghan :-) this looks amazing, but would love to prep it ahead of time and freeze it. since cornbread freezes well, maybe we could just sprinkle the cheese on top before we thaw and reheat? would love to give this a try!
  14. Amanda says:
    When does the cheese go in?
  15. Amanda says:
    Never mind I see it now!
  16. Kimmi D says:
    I used straight up red wine and it was fabulous....My husband told me that I needed to make this recipe again and very soon.
  17. Kimmi D says:
    this recipe is totally fabulous, used just the sloppy joe part for sandwiches and can't believe how much better it tasted than the can stuff....this is a absolutely a must keep recipe
  18. BONNIE says:
    I've made something similar for several years, my family calls it "Corny Joe". For Stephanie C. - do you have a toaster oven? If so, this works in an 8x8 pan in the toaster oven.
  19. kalamityray says:
    Found this through a link from your hashbrown and porkchop casserole recipe--looks pretty tasty! I bet I could do something similiar with BBQ pulled pork and cornbread. Thanks for the recipe! http://tinyurl.com/besthairnow
  20. Dezi A says:
    Your husband is the Tone and Tighten guy! Cool!! What an ambitious family. :)
  21. Nichole Davis says:
    When freezing this recipe, should it be baked and then frozen? Or should the cornbread mix be frozen raw? Or should the cornbread be left off until thawed? Any help and/or advice is appreciated! Thanks!
  22. Camille (Six Sisters Stuff) says:
    Hi Nichole! I think that the meat mixture would freeze fine, but I would probably leave the cornbread off until it's thawed and then you could whip up the cornbread, spread it on top, and pop it in the oven. :) I hope this helps! Have a good night!
  23. Camille (Six Sisters Stuff) says:
    Ha ha ha! Oh my gosh, you are totally right! That is hilarious that you made that connection! The joke at my house is that I make the yummy food and he gives us workouts to work it off. :) I am totally telling him that you said this- it will make his day!
  24. Christi says:
    Loved this and again was able to adapt to gluten free by using Pamela's cornbread mix. My family LOVED it, thanks so much!
  25. Amy says:
    This is the second time I have made this for my family and
  26. Lucky says:
    Can you use a yellow onion and a green pepper instead? Can I use your cornbread receipe instead of Jiffy? Thanks
  27. Cyd Adamson says:
    Sure, you can tweak this recipe to suit your tastes.
  28. Lindsay Humes says:
    We made this the other night! So delicious and a great fall staple to for weekday dinners.

    5 stars

  29. Suzanne says:
    I actually am surprised at how good this is for such a simple list of ingredients.

    5 stars

  30. Katie Swan says:
    This recipe was so good and easy to make! Husband loved it and made plenty of leftovers.

    5 stars

  31. Kelly says:
    If I use 2lbs hamburger and put in a 9x13 pan, would I need two jiffy mixes?
  32. Momma Cyd says:
    1 jiffy mix is for an 8x8 pan, so you would need another mix.
  33. Trish says:
    Delicious! Perfect for a cold winter night!

    5 stars

  34. Ann says:
    Do you think this could be frozen if you left off the cornbread and just added that right before baking?
  35. Momma Cyd says:
    We have not yet tried that, but I'm sure it would freeze well before adding the cornbread.
  36. Linda Hagopian says:
    Is that an 8 inch cast iron skillet in the illustrations?

    5 stars

  37. Momma Cyd says:
    An 8-10 inch skillet will work great.
  38. Andrea Bruguier says:
    I made this tonight and it was delicious!! We ate all of it up.

    5 stars

  39. Jay says:
    I love this recipe! I’ve made it many times. This has also become my go to stand alone Sloppy Joe recipe as well. I agree that I like McCormicks BBQ seasoning the best. I’ve tried others but keep going back to McC’s. I have recently started adding a little chopped celery in with the other veggies. Delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
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