Sloppy Joe Squares are made with a flavorful, from-scratch filling, layered with cheese and baked between flaky crescent roll dough. This fun casserole is guaranteed to be a hit for family dinners and potlucks.
For another delicious kid-friendly meal, check out my Crescent Roll Taco Bake.
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Boy # 4 started back to school today. The first day of his last year of high school and the first of many lasts for us this year. His older brothers will return to their respective colleges within the next couple of weeks. Summer is officially winding down.
I always like to plan a special menu full of good, hearty, kid-friendly meals (also teenage boy friendly!) for the first week of school that are centered around the boys and cater to their tastes. Meals like this are much needed after the stress, excitement, and first day jitters that inevitably come each new school year. And somehow it makes me feel better too. This recipe is a great one to feed your hungry Back to Schoolers and it’s also a great choice for all those upcoming school potlucks or banquets.
I came across a similar recipe a loooonnnnggg time ago in a magazine that no longer exists. It was called Hometown Cooking, from the folks at Better Homes & Gardens. It was my favorite cooking magazine and I still refer back to issues that are now over 10 years old for inspiration.
The recipe calls for Sloppy Joe filling so I use my all time favorite, hands down, no contest cause it’s the winner, recipe for Cajun Sloppy Joes.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: You’ll need 2 pounds of lean ground beef. I like using 90% lean to prevent a filling that’s greasy.
- Vegetables: Diced yellow onion and green bell pepper add great flavor to the filling.
- Tomato sauce: This forms the base of the Sloppy Joe sauce and keeps everything saucy and cohesive.
- Ketchup: Adds that classic Sloppy Joe sweetness and tang.
- Yellow mustard: Just a small amount brightens the sauce and balances the sweetness.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds savory depth and a rich, umami flavor to the beef.
- Seasoning: A simple mix of my all-time favorite homemeade Cajun Seasoning or a store-bought blend. You’ll also need some garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. This combo adds warmth and bold flavor without overpowering the Sloppy Joe sauce.
- Crescent roll dough: This creates the flaky top and bottom layers that turn the filling into easy, sliceable squares. Easy-peasy!
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar-jack melts into the beef for a rich, cheesy layer that holds everything together.
- Sesame seeds: Sprinkled on top after a quick brush of milk for a light crunch and that classic “burger bun” look.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Squares
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet with the diced onion and green bell pepper, breaking it up as it browns until no pink remains.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and seasonings to the skillet and stir until everything is well combined.
- Simmer the mixture until thick and saucy, stirring occasionally.
- Press one sheet of crescent roll dough into the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spread the prepared Sloppy Joe filling evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the meat mixture.
- Place the second sheet of crescent roll dough on top, gently pressing the seams together and pulling the dough to the edges.
- Brush the top with milk and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbly.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator: Store leftover Sloppy Joe Squares in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warmed through, or place them in a 350 degree F oven, covered loosely with foil, until hot.
Put a plate of this in front of them and ask them about their day. If you have a son, and he says more than three words in response, you are truly blessed.
More Sloppy Joe Inspired Recipes
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes | Belly Full
Sloppy Joe Sliders | Valerie’s Kitchen
One Pot Sloppy Joe Noodle Skillet | Spicy Perspective
Taco Sloppy Joes | Lemons for LuLu
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Sloppy Joe Squares
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning, or a store-bought Cajun or Creole Seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, adjust amount as needed
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces refrigerated crescent roll dough, 2 (8 ounce) packages
- 1 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large skillet over MEDIUM heat, cook the ground beef, onions, and bell pepper until the meat crumbles and no pink remains. Drain well and return the skillet to heat.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir well to combine and reduce heat to LOW. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and spray a 13- x 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press one sheet of the crescent roll dough into the prepared pan, pressing with your fingers to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon the Sloppy Joe mixture on top of the dough in pan and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Carefully place the 2nd sheet of crescent roll dough on top of the cheese, lightly pressing the seams together and pulling the dough out to the edges of the pan. Brush the top of the dough with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake, uncovered, for 13 to 15 minutes until nicely golden brown. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
It’s not sloppy joe’s without sweet pickle relish in it ;-).
This is going to be on the menu today….love it
making this with the Grands biscuits wish me luck.
I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Good luck!
I’m making this right now can’t wait till we eat dinner
I have made this using finely chopped ham, cooked, chopped cooked brocolli and swiss cheese. I’m sure you could dream up other fillings as well.
This looks awesome. I buy better homes and gardens magazines at home depot
Sloppy Joes are not found here in Australia (at least, I’ve never heard of them except on American websites), but this looks good. Mince meat is a staple for pies, casseroles, stews etc. But what’s puzzling me is the dough you use. I’ve never seen it here, nor have I heard of it. We only get the choice between puff and shortcrust pastry in the supermarkets. Would either work?
Hello MaryAnne. I don’t think puff pastry would be right for this. It’s somewhat delicate and very flaky which is quite different than the crescent roll dough. Although I’ve never had any experience with shortcut pastry, I assume it is similar to pie crust. I’d be inclined to try that over the puff pastry. Best of luck!
Very cool recipe! I love this idea! Great post!
I make something similiar but use frozen bread dough thawed for the top and bottom layer and put in all in a jelly roll pan. the trick to rolling out the frozen bread dough is to havee it at least at room temperature. Many times I will put in in the micro for about ten seconds to warm it up. We call these Spoonburgers and the kids go crazy for them as well as the adults.
Sounds good Angie!
Valerie: I made this a couple nights ago. Well, pretty close. We don’t eat much spicy, so I used my normal Sloppy Joe recipe. The family loved it!
I made this for dinner tonight. Been craving Sloppy Joe’s for awhile now, so figured, whatthehey. Cheated a little on the sauce, just used Manwich, but stuck to the rest of the recipe pretty faithfully, and, whattyaknow? It came out great, looked just like the picture. Never used unrolled crescent roll dough for a crust before, was delicious, even the bottom baked up nice.
Thanks.
I’m making lots of your recipes! I made this one tonight and we really liked it. Really yummy ingredients! Thanks for another success. Lots of love.