The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Sloppy Joe Casserole has ground beef and noodles smothered in a cheesy Manwich sauce with corn and diced tomatoes. Just prepare the filling in ONE POT, transfer to a casserole dish, top with cheese, and bake!
For a more traditional spin, try my Homemade Sloppy Joes, and don’t forget a side of cornbread!
Sloppy Joe Casserole
Guys, this recipe can’t get any better. It’s SO easy, made with pantry ingredients, budget-friendly, doubles as a ONE POT recipe, and can be made 3 days ahead of time. (Bonus: It also makes a great freezer meal.)
Are you sold?! Let’s get into it.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Casserole
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Brown ground beef, add diced onions. Drain excess grease.
Add Manwich sauce, undrained diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.
Bring to a gentle boil, add farfalle pasta. Gently boil for 15 minutes, until al dente.
Reduce heat to low. Stir in corn. Add cubed Velveeta, replace lid to allow it to melt. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir to combine.
PRO TIP: You can top the pasta with cheese and replace the lid until the cheese is melted and pasta is cooked to your liking. From here, you can serve it as a One Pot meal.
Otherwise, transfer to a casserole dish.
Top with cheese. Cover and bake at 375° F for 15 minutes. Serve!
One Pot Method
For an easy One Pot approach, don’t transfer to a casserole dish. Instead, sprinkle cheese on top of the pasta once it’s completely cooked through. Place the lid on top and allow the cheese to melt, then serve!
Make-Ahead Method
- Assemble the casserole and top with cheese. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Try These Next!
-
- Bacon Mac and Cheese
-
- Pizza Pasta
-
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
-
- Mushroom Chicken
-
- Easy Ravioli Sauce
-
- Ground Beef and Noodles
Be sure to check out all of my other casserole recipes!
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Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, 85% lean
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 1 15.5 oz can Manwich sauce
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, *not* drained
- ¾ pound farfalle pasta, uncooked
- 8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 1 cup corn, frozen or drained from a can
- 1 ½ cups cheddar, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add liquids: Manwich sauce, chicken broth, and undrained diced tomatoes.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then add the pasta and stir to combine.
- Cover and let it boil gently until al dente. Stir a few times throughout to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add a few extra minutes than what’s indicated on the box since we are boiling gently. Taste-test a noodle before proceeding.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in the corn. Add the cubed Velveeta and place the cover on the pot to allow it to melt. Lift the cover and gently stir to combine.
- Transfer to a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Top with shredded cheddar.
- Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and serve with cornbread!
Notes
- Assemble the casserole and top with cheese. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
A variety of pastas can be used in this recipe, refer to box for approximate cooking times as compared to farfalle pasta and adjust as needed. Penne makes a great sub.
You can use a whole pound of pasta, I just prefer extra sauce.
Saw this on Kristin Stepp’s YouTube page and had to save it to try. Wanted to ask what step you would freeze the recipe, how long to thaw, and how to cook. I want to make this but I wanna do a freezer meal prep style. Thanks!
Hi Sara, if you freeze this recipe I would assemble it and just refrain from baking in the oven. Let it cool completely and cover tightly with foil, then freeze. I would then let it defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to baking it. You can then let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature and bake as outlined! 🙂
I think this will be good once it’s done, but I needed to triple it and it’s taking forever to cook. Is there a benefit to cooking the pasta in the sauce vs ahead of time? I’m guessing it gives it more flavor? Regardless my hunting husband and his camp buddies will love it, I’m sure!
Hi Leslie! People often like to make One Pot recipes just because it’s easier than boiling the pasta separately (fewer dishes to do).But also yes, the pasta itself is much more flavorful as well (vs. being cooked in water). I think it will turn out great once it’s ready!!
I’m changing to 5 stars, it is so good and well worth the extra time…if it wasn’t tripled I’m sure it would have been quicker. So good, thank you!!!
Awwwww thank you Leslie! I had a good feeling it would all work out, thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️
How would you go about defrosting and reheating after freezing it?
Hi Anna- would this be before you’ve baked it once already, or after? If you haven’t baked it yet, let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours and then add 10 minutes to the baking time since you’re baking it from a cold state. If you’re reheating leftover baked casserole, you can defrost it overnight and reheat in a 350 degree oven in a lightly greased casserole dish for about 25 minutes, or until heated through (amount of time depends on how much you are reheating). Or, you can reheat it in the microwave, from frozen or after it’s thawed.
I used qt chicken bone broth I caned a year ago, spoon or 2 of tomatoe bullion(cause we like it) bumped the pasta up to a full 12 oz box. I also mistakenly added the cheese and corn before I added my pasta. Just cooked it on stove then warmed it up in oven with more cheese on top – but not much. It was delicious, actually reminded me of ziti but had that manwich sweetness. My increased liquid and pasta filled 9X13 Pyrex to the rim. I know I could easily if fed 6 people on this, 8 if there were side dishes. Great recipe
I’m so happy you enjoyed this casserole Jackie! I love your input! I agree, that manwich type sweetness makes this stand out. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and review!❤️
It says onion but doesnt say when to add it in, and it says water but doesnt say how much.
Hi Krista! I’m so sorry about that, the onion is softened with the ground beef and you’ll use all chicken broth for this recipe and no water. I’ve made the corrections in the recipe card, thank you for letting me know about them! -Stephanie
My family really liked this! I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but I really liked it!
That’s great to hear Lacey! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!😍
I made a double patch for my 1st attempt… Never made it before. But, thankfully my family LOVED it. We are super busy this next couple of days. So, tomorrow is leftover day of this amazing dish. Thank you.😀
I’m so happy the family loved it Lisa! It’s so great to have leftovers. They are great for lunch or dinner but my husband even made a sloppy joe omelet before for breakfast. It was actually really good!😋 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Easy dinner recipe that comes together with minimal mess to clean up. It was well received by the picky eaters in the house. We went without the corn, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Servings were generous and enough to feed 6. Thanks for another winning recipe.
You’re very welcome Emily! I’m so happy to hear this was a hit with the family!😍 It’s a great way to feed a hungry family of 6. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
My family loved this recipe. I cut it down some to suit my family and I omitted the corn as no one but me likes corn.
I also, didn’t have Velveeta cheese but I had a can of chedder cheese sauce and I used a half cup of that.
It fed my family of five perfect and we didn’t have any leftovers.
I will make it again as it was a hit with everyone.
Oh, I also cooked it in my instant pot too.
Can you tell me what you could use instead of manwich as here in uk we dont have that
I have a homemade sloppy joe recipe that you can refer to for a homemade sauce! 🙂
Cant find Manwich anywhere, what can be used instead?
Hey Adeana! I have a homemade sloppy joe recipe that you can refer to for a homemade sauce! 🙂