This easy Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread recipe is a quick and delicious meal that will satisfy the whole family! The classic flavors of homemade sloppy joe are combined with the cheesy goodness of garlic bread to create absolute perfection.
With a crispy ciabatta garlic bread base topped with a savory ground beef mixture and plenty of ooey-gooey melted cheese, Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread is sure to be a hit.
As a bonus, it’s super simple to make and can be on the table in about 40 minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you need dinner to be ready fast.
Love sloppy joes? Me too! Be sure to try my classic homemade sloppy joe recipe, chicken sloppy joes, sloppy joe tater tot casserole, and sloppy joe casserole with pasta.
No matter how you serve it, sloppy joes will never go out of style!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold and Delicious Flavors – Everyone loves the flavor of sloppy joes, and this garlic bread recipe uses my absolute favorite homemade sloppy joe recipe. The combination of ground beef with a perfectly seasoned sauce is delicious.
- Family Friendly – Kids and adults alike will love this recipe. It’s comforting, cheesy, and tasty! Serve this for dinner or as a crowd-pleasing appetizer for a football party or other gathering.
- Versatile – Customize the sloppy joe recipe to suit your taste preferences. Add extra spice with hot sauce or jalapenos, or try different types of cheeses.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy ground beef dinner:
- Ciabatta Loaf: For this and other recipes with garlic bread, I like to use a large loaf, cut in half lengthwise. This recipe would also work with smaller ciabatta rolls to make individual sloppy joe garlic bread servings. Instead of Ciabatta, try French bread or thick slices of rustic Italian bread.
- Ground Beef: You can use whatever style of ground beef you enjoy, but I prefer to use leaner beef. Ground turkey works well too, or you can make ground chicken sloppy joes.
- Cheese: A combination of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese melts beautifully on top of the garlic bread. Whenever possible, shred cheese from a brick rather than buying the pre-shredded bagged kind. It melts better!
- Garlic and Onions: Fresh aromatics make the sloppy joe sauce taste amazing. If you like, add a bit of chopped green bell pepper to the mix for a bolder flavor.
- Seasonings: The sweet and savory flavor of homemade sloppy joe sauce relies on a combination of tangy ketchup and mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread
- Get Ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper to make clean-up super easy. Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise, spread it with softened butter, and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Start the Sloppy Joes: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, and cook the ground beef until it’s no longer pink. Drain away the grease. Then add diced onion and cook until softened. Next, add the garlic and saute briefly, being careful not to burn it.
- Add Flavor: To make the sauce, add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the skillet with the meat. Stir to combine and cover with a lid.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Assemble the Garlic Bread: Divide the sloppy joe mixture between the ciabatta bread halves and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake: Bake the garlic bread in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the bread are golden brown. Remove from the oven. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and slice to serve.
Tip!
Meal Prep! The meat mixture for sloppy joe garlic bread can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Store it in the fridge until you need it to make dinner.
Recipe Tips
- Use Different Meat: Sloppy Joes are delicious with ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or even meatless ground meat alternatives.
- Don’t Overcook: You want to simmer the meat in the sauce for a bit to thicken it up, but you should avoid letting it reduce down too much. We want the beef to be saucy!
- For Extra Crispy Garlic Bread: Toast the bread with the garlic and butter under the broiler before adding the sloppy joe mixture. This will keep the bread from absorbing so much of the sauce, and make the resulting garlic bread nice and crisp.
- Take a Shortcut: My homemade sloppy joe recipe is incredibly easy and delicious, but if you have a can of Manwhich lying around, feel free to use it to make this recipe even more quickly.
Storing Tips
Once the garlic bread has been baked, it’s best to enjoy it right away. After a while, the beef mixture will soften the bread and be less than crispy if you try to reheat it.
To prepare this recipe ahead of time, keep the cooked sloppy joe mixture separate from the bread until you’re ready to enjoy it. The meat can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then reheated in the microwave before adding it to fresh bread and baking.
Sloppy Joes can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread
This hearty dish is already a meal in itself, but you can always serve it with french fries or tater tots to make a more filling dinner. For a fresh twist, try serving it with a side of coleslaw or a homemade Caesar salad.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen garlic bread?
You can, but I think that using fresh bread makes this recipe more delicious and likely a bit more nutritious too! If you want to use a loaf of frozen garlic bread, allow it to thaw first before topping it with the sloppy joe mixture and cheese.
Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
Making the sloppy joe mixture ahead of time will be a huge timesaver when you need to put dinner together on a busy weeknight. Once cooked, the meat in the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What other toppings are good on sloppy joe garlic bread?
Try adding fresh chopped onions or pickles to the bread after you take it out of the oven!
Looking for more garlic bread recipes? Try my Garlic Cheesy Pull Apart Bread, or my Easy Homemade Garlic Bread.
More Easy Ground Beef Recipes
All recipes with ground beef →
Garlic Bread plus Sloppy Joes will equal big compliments from your family when you make this easy meal! Be sure to Pin this recipe so that you can easily find it the next time you need to make a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 ciabatta loaf
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup (112 g) shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup (112 g) shredded sharp cheddar
For the sloppy joe mixture:
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) ground beef
- ½ cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cup (360 ml) ketchup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Slice a ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise, spread with softened butter, and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a Dutch oven or a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil, and cook ground beef breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it’s no longer pink. Drain fat if needed.
- Add onion to the skillet, and cook until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine, and cover with the lid.
- Reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until you reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) to your preference.
- Divide the sloppy joe mixture between ciabatta bread halves, and top with shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar). Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges of the bread are golden brown. Remove from the oven, slice and garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Notes:
- Use Different Meat: Sloppy Joes are delicious with ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or even meatless ground meat alternatives.
- Don’t Overcook: You want to simmer the meat in the sauce for a bit to thicken it up, but you should avoid letting it reduce down too much. We want the beef to be saucy!
- For Extra Crispy Garlic Bread: Toast the bread with the garlic and butter under the broiler before adding the sloppy joe mixture. This will keep the bread from absorbing so much of the sauce, and make the resulting garlic bread nice and crisp.
- Take a Shortcut: My homemade sloppy joe recipe is incredibly easy and delicious, but if you have a can of Manwhich lying around, feel free to use it to make this recipe even more quickly.
- Storage: Make the ground beef mixture and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to six months.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Okuhle says
It’s really good I don’t regret making it, even my boyfriend loves it so much 🥰
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad you both liked it!