Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese

This Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese is the kind of cozy leftover makeover that feels just as exciting as the original meal. Made with leftover crockpot sloppy joe filling, melty cheese, and toasted burger buns, it turns simple ingredients into something extra warm, messy, and delicious. It’s an easy, indulgent recipe that makes leftovers feel like a comfort food win.

One of the major ways I like to make cooking a little easier on myself is by using up leftovers. Now, I’m someone that has no issues with leftovers. I will eat leftovers if they are in the fridge, no problem. My husband and stepsons, however, are another story. My husband will eat them some of the time depending on what they are, but my stepsons usually don’t touch them. So depending on how many leftovers there are, sometimes it’s a waste of food.

That is why I like to repurpose my leftovers into other different recipes, just like this Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese recipe.

Sloppy joes are great to meal prep with. You can make a big batch and freeze it. So you can always freeze some smaller amounts and thaw them to make this recipe, or you can just use leftovers from the fridge, or even right out of the crockpot to make this. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

Make this Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese recipe when…

• you have leftovers from sloppy joes
• you want something super cheesy, a bit messy, and indulgent
• you want something different than the normal grilled cheese

Ingredient notes…

Here is what you’ll need to make this Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese recipe. Please be sure to check the recipe card for the exact ingredients and measurements.

• Bread or buns: I used hamburger buns because I had a bunch left that needed to be used up, but if you don’t have any you could use any other types of buns or bread that you have.
• Cheese: I think individual sliced cheese is the best for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches when you are trying to put more toppings on it than just cheese. They are sliced thin enough that you still have room for more toppings. I used slices of mozza cheddar. But use whatever cheese you prefer.
• Butter: I use good old salted butter. I like to put it in the microwave for about 8 seconds or so to soften it up and make it easier to spread. There is nothing more frustrating on this earth than trying to spread cold butter and having it rip your bread to shreds.
• Sloppy Joe mixture: I used leftovers from the sloppy joe recipe I had in the fridge from the other day, but you can always make some fresh if you are planning on using it, or if you have some frozen from meal prepping.

Equipment I swear by…

• A good non-stick Skillet

While the Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese cooks…

This is a quick recipe so you don’t have a lot of hands off time, but you could still make time to:

• tidy up a few things in the kitchen so it feels less cluttered
• listen to your favorite music
• take some deep breaths

How to make it…

See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

1. Gather your ingredients. If using burger buns, flip them inside out and butter the inside of one of the sides.
2. Place it in a non-stick pan over medium low to medium heat with the butter side facing down. Add a slice of cheese on top, then top with a few scoops of the sloppy joe mixture.
3. Add another slice of cheese, then top with the other side of the burger bun, but upside down. You want the inside of the bun facing the outside so you can butter it. (see pictures below)
4. Butter the top (should be the outside of the bun) and once the bottom of the sandwich is golden brown (anywhere from 5-8 minutes) flip your sandwich over
5. Let cook for another 4-7 minutes, or until the bottom is nice and golden brown.
6. Adjust heat if needed.
7. Remove from pan, cut and enjoy.

My tips and tricks to make this Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe…

To make it as perfect as possible: Use softened butter. Keep a close eye on your sandwich as it cooks. Check the bottom several times throughout cooking to make sure you don’t overcook it, it reaches your perfect color of golden brown, and make sure the cheese is melting. If the bread is cooking faster than the cheese is melting, you may have put too much fillings inside, or your pan could be too hot. Just keep a close eye on it and adjust the temperature if you need.

Want it spicy: Try adding some hot sauce to the sloppy joes mixture before adding it to the grilled cheese sandwich.

Sauce: Dip it in your favorite sauce like ketchup or barbeque sauce to make it even messier/saucier.

Storage notes:

While I love hacks and saving time, it’s best to make a Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwich fresh, and it doesn’t take much time at all. I have no shame to admit that I have saved like half a sandwich in the fridge before and warmed it up by putting it in the air fryer for a minute or two. But it didn’t taste as good as it did when I first made it.

Are you struggling right now…

• If you are really struggling right now I say don’t bother with this sandwich, while it is super yummy it is also somewhat messy, and I find that when I’m struggling the last thing I want to do is clean up more mess if I don’t have to
• If you are running low on energy, motivation, or time, I would just stick with my Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich instead of worrying about making the sloppy joe filling first. It will still be just as delicious, and with less time and effort.

Thank you for stopping by Comfort In a Bowl. If you have any questions, or made any additions/shortcuts that you think other people may love feel free to comment below. If you create this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to share, comment and rate the recipe! Take care of yourself.

Want some soup options to serve with this Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese?

• Crockpot Potato Soup
• Easy Mushroom Soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Crockpot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
• Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup

My burnout situation…

So this weekend I am travelling about eight hours away to go to a comedy festival. Over the last several years my sister and I have become obsessed with this one comedian that we first saw on Tiktok. We often send each other clips of him back and forth. Honestly, he has really helped lighten things up along my healing journey.

So when my husband found out that he was going to be semi close to us this summer, he bought me tickets for Christmas. And we are bringing my sister and her husband since my sister also loves him. Since then they have also announced other comedians for other days, so we got tickets for some of the other acts they have going on there as well.

We are making a weekend of it, driving up, staying in an Airbnb close to where the festival is, and then driving back when it’s over. So it will be a quick trip, and pretty packed full of entertainment but I’m hoping we have fun. My sister was looking at the weather forecast and it’s apparently supposed to thunderstorm every single day (and it’s an outdoor festival that they will only cancel if it’s dangerous and there is lightning) so fingers crossed that we have good weather when we are there and nothing gets cancelled.

Conclusion…

I love repurposing leftovers and I hope these types of recipes make your life easier, not harder.

Enjoy.

Take care of youself.

-Caitlin