Italian sloppy joes are filled with ground beef, marinara sauce, and Italian herbs topped with melty provolone cheese. They make a great weeknight meal and can be ready in less than 30 minutes!
Italian sloppy joes are a unique twist on a classic and adults and kids alike will love them. They make a great meal at home because they're made in a single pan and can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
These Italian sloppy joes are made with Italian herbs, marinara sauce, and melty provolone cheese.
Serve your sloppy joes on a lightly toasted brioche bun or open faced on thick slices of garlic bread. They're great for dinner or as an appetizer on game day when served on small slider buns.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Ground beef - I recommend 85/15 ground beef for this recipe. You could also use a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage for a more complex flavor. If using a fattier beef, I recommend draining the grease from your pan before continuing with the recipe.
- Oil - Olive oil can be substituted with your favorite cooking oil you keep on hand if needed.
- Onion - Adds flavor to the recipe. Bell pepper and mushrooms also make a great addition if desired.
- Marinara sauce - Can be homemade or store bought, and can be substituted with spaghetti sauce. Perfect for using up a partial jar of sauce you have on hand. Traditional marinara sauce is made with tomatoes, garlic, and a few herbs. If your particular marinara sauce is not very flavorful, I suggest adding 2 cloves of minced garlic with the ground beef.
- Seasoning - Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes add flavor to the meat. Italian seasoning can be substituted with any combination of Italian herbs you have on hand, like oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary.
- Worcestershire sauce - Adds savory flavor. I don't recommend omitting it. Worcestershire sauce could be substituted with soy sauce or steak sauce if needed for allergy reasons.
- Tomato sauce - Adds concentrated, savory tomato flavor to the dish. I don't recommend substituting with ketchup (readers often ask about this particular substitute) because they have different flavors and consistencies. Tomato paste is rich, savory, and concentrated, while ketchup is diluted with other flavors and tastes sweet and tangy. If you don't have tomato paste on hand, I'd recommend adding slightly more marinara sauce and cooking down the sauce a few minutes longer.
- Provolone - Can be substituted with mozzarella or parmesan cheese. A shredded Italian cheese blend also works well.
- Buns - I recommend a bakery-quality brioche bun. Garlic toast makes a great substitute - I recommend serving open faced if using a thick cut of bread.
Tips and tricks
Drain grease before continuing - If you're using a high fat content ground beef, like 80/20 or 75/25, you may want to drain some grease from the pan after the beef is done cooking.
Add more seasoning to taste - Give your marinara sauce a taste test before beginning. If it's not particularly flavorful, add two cloves of garlic after cooking the ground beef, just before adding the remaining ingredients. Do another taste test before melting the cheese and add more seasoning to taste.
Lightly toast buns - To ensure your buns don't fall apart under the weight of your sloppy joes, give them a light toast in the toaster oven just before assembly.
Storage
Leftover sloppy joes will keep in a tightly sealed container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat leftovers, cover with a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave until warm.
Frequently asked questions
I recommend a brioche bun from your local grocery store bakery. Lightly toast just before serving your sloppy joes. You could also toast some thick sliced freezer garlic bread. You may want to serve your sloppy joes open faced if using a thick sliced bread. If you don't have garlic bread on hand, slather some sandwich bread with butter, a pinch of salt, garlic powder, and oregano, and toast until golden brown.
An Italian chopped salad or garden salad makes a great addition. Other ideas include sun-dried tomato pasta salad, roasted potatoes and asparagus, and parmesan orzo and peas.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Italian Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
- 8 ounces marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 4 brioche buns, lightly toasted
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add onions and cook until they begin to lightly brown around the edges, about 2-3 minutes.
- Crumble ground beef into pan and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Optionally, drain any excess grease from the pan at this time.
- Add marinara sauce, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until ingredients are heated through and sauce has thickened to your liking. Top with cheese slices and remove from heat.
- Once cheese has melted, transfer sloppy joe mixture onto toasted buns and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Sauce: Marinara sauce can be substituted with spaghetti sauce. Traditional marinara sauce includes garlic. If your sauce is not particularly flavorful, add 2 cloves of minced garlic with your ground beef in the last 30 seconds of cooking (step 2, before adding your sauce).
- Leftovers: Leftover sloppy joes will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Cheese: Provolone can be substituted with parmesan, mozzarella, or shredded Italian blend cheese.
These were sooo good. My husband asked if we were having them again tonight! Didn't realize until last minute I didn't have marinara, so I used crushed tomatoes instead. My kids love fresh mozzarella, so I put the meat on the bun and then put the fresh mozzarella on top and put it under broiler for a couple minutes to melt the cheese. these are going into my regular rotation. Super easy but yet delicious!
Hi Kathleen, so glad to hear your family enjoyed the recipe!