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Your favorite new weeknight dish, sloppy joe mac and cheese. Yes, it is as amazing as it sounds and quite personally, I think this is way better than the traditional sandwich?

Sloppy Joe mac 'n cheese is going to be your family's new favorite weeknight meal! It's so easy to put together and packed with LOTS of flavor! It's just like the traditional sandwich but FAR better and less messy to eat!
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Sloppy Joe Mac ‘N Cheese

I’m not sure if you know but in December 2015, I published my first cookbook, Dinner for Two.

And within that cookbook, there is this dish called Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese that is hands down our FAVORITE recipe in the book. I’m bias but I think all the recipes in the book are great but if you’re looking for a kid-friendly, family favorite dish and one that is easy to put together; hands down this sloppy joe mac and cheese is the one.

The simplicity of this dish will make you wonder how something so simple can be that amazing all at the same time.

What Is A Sloppy Joe?

A sloppy joe is traditionally known as a sandwich made of ground beef that’s seasoned and tossed in a tomato sauce with onions and other spices. The origin of the sloppy joe seems to date back to a restaurant in Sioux Falls, Iowa where a cook named Joe sold “loose meat sandwiches” which eventually were called sloppy joes.

Some people say the sloppy joe dated back before that, it just didn’t go by that particular name. The name really took off in the 1960s when Manwhich started selling a prepackaged sloppy joe sauce at stores. The rest is history, as the sloppy joe has become a household name.

Now we can take that love of sloppy joes a step further and mix it with another American favorite, mac, and cheese!

Ingredients To Make Sloppy Joe Mac ‘N Cheese

This might seem like a lot of ingredients for just a mac and cheese recipe, but it’s really not as much as it seems. Some things will go to make the sauce, and others will go to make the pasta dish itself.

Once you start the cooking process, you’ll see how it suddenly feels like no ingredients at all, because it’s just that easy.

  • Tomato sauce
  • Tomato paste
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Dark brown sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Rotini or any spiral-shaped pasta
  • Vegetable oil
  • Onion
  • Green bell pepper
  • Garlic
  • Ground beef
  • Grated sharp cheddar cheese

How To Make Sloppy Joe Mac ‘N Cheese

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to directions on the package.
  4. 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.
  5. Add the sauce to the skillet then add the pasta, then add the cheese on top. Turn the heat down and toss the pasta and cheese until cheese has melted and the pasta is coated in the sauce with the ingredients evenly distributed throughout.
  6. Divide evenly in bowls and serve!

Can I Make A Bigger Batch?

Um yes!! We seriously double the recipe ALL THE TIME because we can’t get enough of this dish. I’m not just going to say you can make a bigger batch, I’m saying you should make a bigger batch.

Trust me, you won’t regret it, and I’m positive nothing will go to waste. Just make sure whatever skillet you use to make this sloppy joe mac and cheese is big enough to accommodate the extra ingredients.

What Other Noodles Can I Use?

You can use whatever noodles you want essentially. For this recipe, I like the spiral-shaped pasta because it holds onto the sauce and other ingredients better than a simple noodle, like spaghetti or linguine.

The only noodles I suggest avoiding completely are the plant-based ones made from spiraled veggies. While great for some recipes, they likely won’t hold up very well with a hearty dish like sloppy joe mac and cheese.

More Mac and Cheese Recipes

Bangin’ Mac and Cheese

Easiest Three-Cheese Mac ‘N Cheese

Memphis Style Mac and Cheese

Ultimate Mac and Cheese Casserole For Two

Chorizo Mac and Cheese

Healthy Sloppy Joe’s

You’ll really love this recipe as much as we do and you can watch me make it here:

And don’t forget to grab the recipe!

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4.75 from 4 votes

Sloppy Joe Mac ‘n Cheese

If there were ever a dish that I wanted you to drop everything to go make, this would be the one! This is the perfect weeknight dish to put on rotation!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 

For the sauce:

  • ¾ cup (177 ml) tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoon 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 (3/4 cup)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ pound (227 g) ground beef
  • 1 cup (113 g) freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
  • 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.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to directions on the package.
  • 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.
  • Add the sauce to the skillet then add the pasta (drained of excess water) then 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.
  • Divide evenly in bowls and serve!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 19g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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16 Comments

  1. 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!

  2. 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!

  3. 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!

  4. Could this be adapted for the pressure cooker? Mainly to be able cook the pasta in the sauce. Thanks in advance!

    1. 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?