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Bringing together two favorite comfort foods in one, sloppy Joe mac and cheese is a kid-friendly, family favorite meal that comes together in just about 30 minutes. Ground beef is mixed in a sloppy Joe sauce that is both sweet and tangy then tossed together with cheese and pasta. What is there not to love?!
Sloppy Joe + Mac and Cheese
I published my first cookbook, Dinner for Two, in December of 2015. Within that cookbook, there is this pasta dish I created called sloppy Joe mac and cheese. It is hands down my FAVORITE recipe in the book and also many readers’ favorite as well. I’m bias but I think all the recipes in the book are great, but if you’re looking for a kid-friendly, easy, and repeat dinner, this sloppy Joe mac and cheese is definitely the one for you.
Ground beef is tossed in a flavorful sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce along with cheese and pasta. The simplicity of this dish will make you wonder how something so simple can be that amazing all at the same time!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- I’ve made this with a range of ground meat options. I’ve made sloppy Joe mac and cheese with ground turkey, ground chicken, and even ground lamb. Honestly, I just use what I have at the moment and they’ve all turned out great!
- Double the sauce if you really like saucy pasta and to make this more sloppy. Truthfully, the sauce is so good that I tend to double the sauce now every time I make this dish.
- Feel free to use whatever short cut pasta you like. I like using rotini because the spirals catch all the yummy sauce in the pockets. Mezze rigatoni, penne, elbow macaroni, and orecchiette are great options as well.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Allow leftovers to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, reheat in a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through or portion it out into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until warmed through.
Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup (177 ml) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestchire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the pasta:
- 2 cups (120 g) rotini, or any spiral-shaped pasta
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ pound (227 g) ground beef
- 1 cup (113 g) freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Drain well and set aside.2 cups (120 g) rotini
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.¾ cup (177 ml) tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons Worcestchire sauce, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat up the vegetable oil. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, ½ large onion, 1 medium green bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and break it up with your spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until ground beef is thoroughly cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.½ pound (227 g) ground beef
- Add the sauce to the skillet then add the pasta.
- Add the cheese on top. Turn the heat down to medium -low and toss the pasta and cheese until cheese has melted and the pasta is coated in the sauce with the ingredients evenly distributed throughout.1 cup (113 g) freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Divide evenly in bowls and serve!
Video
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
Absolutely delicious! My husband can’t stop talking about how much he liked this recipe. He can’t wait to have it again.
awesome!! so happy to hear this!
SO GOOD! This is a staple recipe in my household we make it at least once a week.
This recipe has become a staple in our household. My kids LOVE it and so does my husband. It is such a quick and easy meal to make. I highly recommend adding extra peppers, as I like extra veggies!
I make this recipe at least twice a month – my husband would eat it every day if I’d make it that often! Great and awesome recipe as are all that are in the book!
Yay! Thank you!
This was great! We will make this again. Thanks!
Glad to hear it!
Awesome recipe! We really enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!!
So glad to hear this! Thanks for letting me know!
Can’t wait to try this! Love that we can choose how many we are making the recipe for….you make my life easy. Could you please tell me about the garlic mincer and the tool that you used to crumble the beef? Thanks for all your great recipes. Especially love the videos!
Yes! The garlic mincer is this garlic twist: http://amzn.to/2poqGgs and the meat crumbler is this: http://amzn.to/2ppSaCs :) thank you so much for your kind words!
Love the fusion. Thank you so much !
I just made this last night with ground pork. Delicious! My husband loves this!
Ahh yay!
Could this be adapted for the pressure cooker? Mainly to be able cook the pasta in the sauce. Thanks in advance!
I have no experience with cooking pasta in the pressure cooker. I imagine you could. Sauté everything in the Instant Pot then maybe try like 7 minutes to cook everything else together?
Thank you!