Cheesy Open Faced Sloppy Joes are ready in 20 minutes and are ideal when you need a fast easy dinner on the table in a hurry. Kids of all ages love them!
If you’re looking for a fast and easy dinner the whole family will love, you’ve got to try these open faced sloppy joes! I’ve been making these easy sandwiches forever, and I *think* these date back to our pre-kid days, which is seriously a long, long time ago. You get the idea.
This is the kind of uber easy dinner you make when you need something on the table fast, and you don’t want to put much time or effort into it. But, you still want your kids to eat it! It’s perfect for the chaotic first week of school when you’ve been in the car for what seems like all day, because your kid forgot his lunch and you had to go back, and then you spend an hour in the pick-up lane with a billion other cars that just aren’t moving. Sigh.
So, this is one dinner that never gets any complaints. Even my pickiest eaters are happy when they find out that these easy sloppy joe sandwiches are on the menu, and that definitely makes this mom happy!
Here are a few other kid-approved easy sandwiches you can make for dinner:
- Ham and Cheese Sliders with Barbecue Sauce
- Cheesy Baked Roast Beef Sliders
- Grilled Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches
- Parmesan Crusted Pizza Grilled Cheese
- Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad Wraps
I don’t think I’ve ever used canned sauce for sloppy joes. And actually, it’s easier and more budget friendly to just make your own. I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand, so I can whip these babies up in no time.
And to make this dinner even easier, I keep chopped frozen bell peppers and onions in the freezer, which really cuts down on the prep work! Of course, if you don’t have frozen on hand, you can use fresh. Or, you can use dried minced onions and skip the peppers. I just like the extra flavor and texture they add.
What makes these open faced sloppy joes a little different from the others is that these are served on top of toasted English muffin halves instead of in buns. I found that the thicker muffins work better for holding the meat and don’t get soggy. My kids hate messy, soggy sandwiches, and even though there’s no top bun, the meat mixture is thick enough so that it doesn’t fall off.
Just top the sandwich off with a slice of cheddar cheese, or whatever you prefer, and dinner is ready in about 20 minutes. We keep the sides simple, too. Usually I’ll serve sloppy joes with chips or fruit or both. Easy peasy, right?!
How to Make Open Faced Sloppy Joes
Open faced sloppy joes made with ground beef and yellow bell peppers in a tangy barbecue sauce and topped with cheddar cheese. Serve on English muffins for an easy dinner or lunch!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onions, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
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In a large skillet, cook onions in olive oil on medium high heat until slightly soft
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Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink. Drain excess fat
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Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika
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Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and bell peppers. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until meat mixture thickens
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Serve over toasted English muffin halves and top with cheddar cheese slices, if desired
These open faced sloppy joes are a tried and true favorite with my family. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Happy Cooking,
Sharing at Weekend Potluck
I totally forgot about these! My mom used to make these for us when we were kids! Looks fantastic!
My family would love these!
So good! In fact, I requested Sloppy Joes the other night for dinner! These look great – loved the smoked paprika!
This is my kind of dinner. It looks great.
I love sloppy joes! These ones I must make soon!