These Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are an easy family dinner made with saucy ground beef, crispy garlic Texas toast, and melted cheese. It is a fun twist on classic sloppy joes and comes together in about 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Instead of hamburger buns, the sloppy joe mixture is spooned onto buttery Texas toast and baked until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp. This is one of our favorite beef recipes because it is simple, filling, kid-friendly, and made with basic ingredients you can keep on hand. If your family enjoys easy ground beef dinners, you'll also love these Baked Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready fast: This dinner takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.
- Family-friendly: Kids love the cheesy, saucy, garlic bread combo.
- Only a few ingredients: You just need ground beef, sloppy joe sauce, cheese, and Texas toast.
- Fun twist on sloppy joes: Texas toast makes this feel a little more special than a regular sandwich.
- Great for busy nights: Perfect when you need something easy but still satisfying.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef: Use 1 pound of ground beef, browned and drained. Ground turkey or ground chicken can also be used.
- Sloppy Joe Sauce: A canned sloppy joe sauce keeps this recipe quick and easy. You can also use homemade sloppy joe sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella melts well and gives these a mild, cheesy topping. Cheddar, Colby Jack, or a shredded cheese blend would also work.
- Texas Toast: Frozen Texas toast garlic bread works best. Bake it briefly before adding the meat so it stays crisp.
How To Make Sloppy Joes On Texas Toast
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook the ground meat in a large skillet. Drain any excess grease, then add the sloppy Joe sauce and stir.
Place the bread on a greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Why toast the bread first? Toasting the Texas toast before adding the sloppy joe mixture helps keep it from getting soggy and gives the sandwich a crisp texture.
Top each slice of Texas Toast garlic bread with the sloppy Joe mixture.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Best cheese for sloppy joes: Mozzarella melts beautifully, but cheddar gives a sharper flavor if that's what your family prefers.
Return to the oven to bake for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread has toasted. Don't overbake. Once the cheese is melted and bubbly, remove the sandwiches from the oven so the bread doesn't become too crunchy.
Recipe Tips
For crispier Texas toast, bake the bread for a few minutes before adding the sloppy joe meat. This helps keep the bread from getting soggy.
Serve these right after baking. Once the meat sits on the toast for too long, the bread will soften.
You can use cheddar instead of mozzarella if you want a stronger cheese flavor.
For extra flavor, add diced onions or peppers when browning the ground beef.
What To Serve With Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
These are filling on their own, but they go well with simple sides like:
- French fries, like this Garlic Fries Recipe
- Macaroni salad, like our Best Ever Balsamic Pasta Salad Recipe
- Tater tots
- Potato chips
- Coleslaw
- Side salad
- Corn on the cob
- Pickles
- Raw veggies and dip
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Ground turkey or ground chicken both work well in this recipe. Just cook it fully before adding the sloppy joe sauce.
Store any leftover ground beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not store the assembled sloppy joes with the beef on the bread as they don't keep well.
You can make the meat mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Wait to assemble and bake the Texas toast until you are ready to eat.
Bake the Texas toast before adding the sloppy joe mixture, and serve it right after it comes out of the oven.
Yes. Freeze the cooked sloppy joe meat in a freezer-safe container. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat before spooning it onto the Texas toast.
Mozzarella, cheddar, Colby Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend all work well.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
📖 Recipe
Texas Toast Sloppy Joes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef Browned
- 15 oz Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 8 slices Texas Toast Defrosted
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven 425 degrees.
- Brown ground beef and then add the sloppy Joe sauce to the ground beef. Stir to combine.
- Place the bread on a greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees.
- Top Texas Toast with sloppy Joe meat.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Return to the oven to bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread has toasted.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- We used shredded mozzarella cheese but shredded cheddar cheese would work as well.
-
For best results, bake the Texas toast before adding the sloppy joe meat so the bread stays crisp. Serve immediately after baking.
ColleenB.~Tx. says
I just buy a loaf of the Texas Toast bread; toast the bread in my 4 slice toaster until lightly brown, spread with with garlic butter, add meat mixture and cheese on top and pop in oven ( under the broiler) until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Will make the same way using hamburger buns or could use slider buns.
Oh, sometimes I will use 1/2 beef and 1/2 sausage and will make my own Sloppy Joe meat mixture; making a large batch so that I have some to put in the freezer to use another time.
Never have leftovers, not with hubby around.
Vicky says
Hi Colleen, Wow, I love how you’ve made this recipe totally your own!And using half sausage? Genius! Freezing extra for later is so smart too (especially when there's a hungry hubby involved—no leftovers here either!). Thanks so much for sharing your version—I might have to try it your way next time!
Andrea says
I Love this recipe so much. It's perfect for my family as a dinner, lunch or even a snack.
Sisley White - Sew White says
Such a delicious and quick dinner and it was loved by the whole family.
veenaazmanov says
This is best for any meal time. Easy and quick to make. Every bite is definitely delicious and yummy too.
TAYLER ROSS says
I made these sloppy joes for dinner last night and they were delicious! Such a fun twist on a classic recipe!
Carrie Robinson says
Such a fun and easy dinner idea! Can't wait to make this soon. 🙂