When a Sloppy Joe and a grilled cheese join forces, dinner gets seriously delicious. These Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwiches bring together sweet, tangy, savoury meat filling and gooey melted cheese between two slices of buttery, golden sourdough. They are crispy on the outside, melty in the middle and just messy enough to make everyone reach for an extra napkin.
The filling starts with ground turkey, but ground beef or pork work just as well. Choose what suits your family, budget and what is already in your fridge or freezer. Cook it with onion and red bell pepper, then stir in ketchup, tomato paste, prepared mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and a few simple seasonings. The result is a rich, saucy filling with a little sweetness, a little tang and plenty of flavour.
Then comes the best part: the cheese. Cheddar, Monterey Jack or provolone all work beautifully here. Butter one side of the sourdough and place the bread on a large griddle or skillet over medium heat, butter side down. Layer on the cheese and spoon on the warm Sloppy Joe mixture. Rather than building one sandwich at a time and hoping for a perfect flip, cook both bread slices open-faced first. Once the cheese begins to melt and stick to the bread, bring the slices together and cook until everything is golden, crisp and wonderfully gooey.
Serve with dill pickles on the side for a bright, crunchy contrast, plus a simple green salad, sliced vegetables or your favourite soup. This is a fun dinner for busy weeknights, a casual weekend lunch or a meal that feels just right for a game night at home.
The recipe takes about 40 minutes from start to finish and serves four to six, making it a great choice when you want something familiar with a twist.
Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
Meat filling:
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Sandwiches:
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or provolone cheese
- Softened butter or mayonnaise
- Pickles for serving
Instructions
- To prepare the Sloppy Joe filling: Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks. When partially cooked through, add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are softened.
- Stir the remaining ingredients for the filling into the meat. Simmer the meat mixture for 8-10 minutes. Taste to adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat.
- To make the grilled cheese sandwiches: Butter one side of each piece of bread. Mayonnaise works really well for this! Place the bread on a large griddle or skillet over medium heat, mayo/butter side down. Scatter the cheese evenly on top of each piece of bread. Spoon the meat mixture on top of half of the bread. For instance, if making 2 sandwiches at once, place the meat mixture on top of 2 slices of cheese bread. If making 4 sandwiches at once, place the meat mixture on top of 4 slices of bread. Because we’re not really “flipping” these sandwiches like you normally would a grilled cheese, we’re grilling both sides of the sandwich at once. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese has started to melt and is stuck to the bread.
- Place the bread that has only the melted cheese on top of the bread that has the sloppy joe mixture to form a sandwich. Cook, flipping if desired but not necessary, until the cheese has fully melted and the sandwich is deeply golden brown on both sides. Remove from the griddle and repeat with remaining sandwiches. Keep the finished sandwiches warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven if not eating immediately. Serve the sandwiches with dill pickles, if desired.
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