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These Italian Sloppy Joes are a hearty and filling sandwich that is full of Italian flavors and served on Parmesan Garlic Bread. Simple and quick to put together and so delicious you'll want to add this sandwich into your weeknight dinner rotation. Lets be honest... a sandwich is good anytime!
A spin off of the classic American sloppy joe, Italian Sloppy Joes are just as easy, just as messy and just as delicious. A few simple ingredients that most of you probably already have in your pantry, a few minutes to prep, and believe me it will only take you a few minutes to devour these sandwiches.
We also love having these easy and delicious sandwiches for dinner: Crock Pot Pizza Joes, Instant Pot Drip Beef Sandwiches, Family Favorite Sloppy Joes, Iowa Maid Rites and Easy Turkey Burgers.
This post was originally posted on 01/13/2020 and updated on 07/12/2021.
Italian Sloppy Joes Ingredients
- French Bread loaf
- Salted Butter
- Dried Minced Garlic
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Ground Beef
- Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Olive oil
- Beef broth
- Crushed tomatoes
- Dried Oregano
- Italian Seasoning, My favorite is: Little Italy from The Spice House. You can find it here!
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese, for topping
Substitution Suggestions:
- French Bread: To make this meal even simpler you can buy the prepackaged garlic toast from the freezer section in the grocery store or already prepared garlic bread from the deli or freezer section. I like to make mine because it only takes a few minutes to prepare and I add Parmesan Cheese. You could also use hamburger buns and toast them in the oven following the garlic bread directions except reduce the cook time to 5-8 minutes.
- Ground Beef: This recipe works great with ground turkey too. Makes it a little lighter, but just as delicious.
- Onion: Not a fan of onions? You can substitute with a few tablespoons of dried minced onions or 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
- Red Bell Pepper: Any color of sweet bell pepper will work in this sandwich recipe.
- Olive Oil: Any neutral oil will work, as well as butter.
- Beef Broth: Beef broth enhances the flavor of the beef, but you could use water or chicken broth.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Tomato sauce can be used or use a jarred pasta sauce and omit the seasonings. I like to use crushed tomatoes because it adds extra texture to the meat mixture.
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese: I like to top the meat mixture with Parmesan, but you could use shredded Mozzarella or grated Asiago or Pecorino as well.
How to Make Italian Sloppy Joes
- First step is to prepare the bread and get it in the oven. Cut the loaf of French bread in half the long way. Butter both halves, sprinkle with minced garlic and Parmesan Cheese.
- Place bread halves on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes until top is a light golden brown.
- While the bread is baking, make the meat mixture for the sloppy joes. First, sauté onion and pepper together in olive oil over medium heat until tender.
- Add the ground beef and brown until no longer pink and cooked through.
- Next, stir in the dried oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Then add the beef broth and crushed tomatoes and stir it all together well.
- Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. About 10-15 minutes.
- Once the bread is done and cool enough to handle, slice it into sandwich size servings. I sliced mine into 6 servings.
- Spoon meat mixture onto bottom half of garlic bread, sprinkle with some shredded Parmesan Cheese, top with other half of garlic bread and eat it up!!!
What to serve with Italian Sloppy Joes?
I love to serve this easy sandwiches with a simple side dish, either a roasted potato or veggie and a side salad. Here are some of our favorites:
- Oven Fries
- Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
How to store leftovers?
Any leftover garlic bread can be stored in a zip top bag in the fridge. If you leave the cheese off the sandwich it can be stored at room temperature on the counter. Once the leftover sloppy joe mix has cooled, add it to an air tight container and store in the fridge up to 4 days.
Can you freeze Italian Sloppy Joes?
Yes!!! The meat mixture freezes great! Make a double batch and freeze some for an easy meal later. The garlic bread can also be made ahead of time and then frozen.
To freeze the meat: let it cool completely, then add it to a freezer safe container. Label, date and freeze. To use it, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it on the stove over low heat.
To freeze garlic bread: prepare the garlic bread per recipe but don't bake it. Place the halves back together, double wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then wrap in aluminum foil. Label, date and freeze the bread. When ready to use it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, unwrap it, place the halves on a baking sheet and bake according to recipe directions.
More Easy Weeknight Dinners we Love:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Foil Packets
- Lasagna Skillet
- Honey Mustard Chicken and Vegetables
- Easy Spaghetti Shrimp
- Taco Pasta Skillet
- Mini BBQ Turkey Meatloaves
- Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry
Italian Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the Cheesy Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf French bread
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
For the Italian Sloppy Joes
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes, or 1 (15 oz can)
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice the loaf of French bread in half the long way.
- Butter each half of bread with 2 tablespoons of butter, and sprinkle with minced garlic and Parmesan cheese.
- Place bread on baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.
- Once cool to touch, slice each half of garlic bread into 6 serving pieces.
For the Italian Sloppy Joes
- Sauté the onion and pepper in olive oil until the onions are translucent and peppers are tender.
- Add ground beef to the veggies and brown until no longer pink. Drain any grease if needed.
- Stir in the oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Add the beef broth and crushed tomatoes and stir together.
- Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
- Scoop sloppy joe mix onto bottom half of garlic bread pieces, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, top with top half of garlic bread and enjoy!
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