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How about an easy dinner for your busy weeknights?! There’s no need to boil pasta, chop veggies, or cook any meat for this 10-minute Dump-and-Bake Sloppy Joe Casserole! Just stir together all of the raw ingredients, pop it in the oven, and you’ll have a simple, one dish meal that brings the family together around the table!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Manwich. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’ve seriously never met a child who doesn’t love a Sloppy Joe! The hearty, sweet and tangy sauce is a throwback to my childhood! Both my mom and my grandmother served us Sloppy Joe sandwiches when we were little, and they have now become a staple in my own house as well.
But guess what?! I figured out a way to make the classic Sloppy Joe even easier. I bet you didn’t think that was possible!
By using Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce as the base, I created a dump-and-bake casserole with meatballs, pasta, and cheese for the ultimate no-prep dinner! It’s tasty, it’s kid-friendly, and it’s perfect for those evenings when you don’t have the time, energy, or desire to cook an elaborate dinner.
Since Manwich doesn’t contain any meat, it’s a surprisingly versatile sauce that’s perfect for sandwiches, pastas, and more. Whether you create the original sandwich that’s best enjoyed with both hands, or a unique twist like this fork-friendly Sloppy Joe Casserole, you can be sure that the quality ingredients will make your children smile.
The tasty flavors will bring the attention back to mealtime and away from everyday distractions, texting, or video games. Doesn’t that sound good?!
Ingredients
I used the Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce for this recipe, but you can also try the Manwich Bold or the Manwich Thick & Chunky versions. Choose your family’s favorite, since any variety will work well here. In addition to the sauce, you will just need a box of uncooked rotini pasta, shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, fully-cooked meatballs, and water.
Sloppy Joe Casserole | 2-Minute Video
How To Make This Sloppy Joe Casserole
In the baking dish or in a separate bowl, stir together the sauce, meatballs, and uncooked pasta.
Have your 7-year-old son add the water,
and let the 3-year-old mix until it’s all combined! I’m telling you — this Sloppy Joe Casserole is so easy that a preschooler can make it!
Once the raw ingredients are in the baking dish, just cover tightly with foil and bake it in the oven for about 35 minutes. The pasta will cook and absorb most of the liquid, leaving a thick, rich sauce at the end.
The cheese goes on top of the casserole during the final 5 minutes of baking, just until it’s melted. Then garnish with any of your family’s favorite toppings!
Extra Tip:  Cooking for a Smaller Family? You can easily cut the ingredients in half and prepare the meal in an 8-inch square baking dish.
More Sloppy Joe Recipes To Try:
- Slow Cooker Italian Sloppy Joes
- Crock Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes
- 5-Ingredient Sloppy Joe Casserole (with biscuits)
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
Dump-and-Bake Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
- 2 (15 ounce) cans Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 3 cups water
- 16 ounces fully-cooked miniature bite-size meatballs (if using frozen meatballs, make sure that they are completely thawed before using)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Optional Garnish: sliced tomatoes, sliced olives, diced avocado, sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In prepared dish (or in a separate bowl), stir together uncooked pasta, Sloppy Joe Sauce, water, and meatballs. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Uncover; stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
- Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
- Garnish with optional toppings just before serving.
Sloppy joes remind me of my childhood…it was an easy meal that my whole family loves! I think I would’ve loved this casserole too. Such a fun take on pasta, Blair! I’m remembering this for the next time my husband and I want to make sloppy joes (or sloppy fred’s as my husband calls them, because of an uncle in his family haha).
Thanks, Gayle! They’re totally a blast from my childhood as well! 🙂
Worst recipe ever. I followed the directions exactly. Pasta was gross. Had to fish it out and cook it on the stove. Then the sauce was runny. My grandkids hated it. Will not use this again.
If I make a smaller version of this by cutting in half. Does that effect the cooking time?
Hi! If you cut the ingredients in half, the cooking time should be roughly the same. You can check it towards the end (it might require 5-10 fewer minutes), but you’ll be able to tell based on how tender the pasta is. 🙂
LOOOVING the video. Makes me even hungrier! You are my casserole queen
Hah! Thanks, Lindsay! Total casserole lovers over here! 🙂
What a cool video! And that steam coming off the spoon…what a shot. Now I’m hungry and I just finished breakfast. Haha
Thank you, Megan! The video was really fun to put together!
HI Blair! Looks great. Can you prep this in advance and store in fridge?
Thanks!
Hi, Stephanie! Yes, you can — but only for a short amount of time. I wouldn’t leave it in there overnight or all day long. Maybe just a couple of hours. Otherwise the noodles start to soak up the liquid and the texture is just weird. 🙂
Wow, Blair, you rocked this video! I hope you remember your little blogger friends when you hit the big time with your own TV show!hahaha.
Such a fun delicious dinner that requires so little work = Love it I have fond memories of Sloppy Joes as a kid and it was always considered the best night of the week when my mom made it.
Congrats on your video debut !
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words, Robyn! You are too sweet! And yes — Sloppy Joe Night is always a hit with the kids! 🙂
Hi Blair,
This recipe looks yummy. Mine is bakin as I type this. I just read the reviews just and didn’t I didn’t know you had a video. I just watched it. You state in video bake at. 375 degrees. The typed recipe states 425 degree, which I thought that seemed high, which one is correct?
I also added spices and some cut up cherry tomatoes into the ingredients cooking now. I used to be a scout leader. When we took the kids camping we would make various dump dinners.
I can’t wait until mine is done, but again not sure on temperature. I just spent a week in the hospital. I love looking for new recipes online. My husband had wanted sloppy Joe’s for dinner. Then I thought what will I make for sides and I’m just not up to much. This looked like it would be perfect.
My husband cooked ground meat as we didn’t have any meatballs. Well it’s almost done. I’ve never replied to a recipe before!
Hi, Chris! Thanks for your note! I hope that it worked out well!
You definitely want to bake at 425 degrees. Sorry for that confusion — a mistake in the video production. 🙂
Thanks again for stopping by the blog!
I made this exactly as it was written. It was great! I was hesitant thinking the noodles would not cook thoroughly or come out rubbery. It is a nice filling meal anyone can put together. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful! Thank you, Karen!
Cooked for an hour and still watery. Hopefully tastes better than it looks
Any problem with using low-sodium broth instead of the water? Thanks!
No, broth would work just fine.