Sloppy Joe Garlic Bread

5 from 7 votes

Sloppy Joe Breadsticks turn a traditional sandwich filling into a fun appetizer or game day snack. Easy to make in minutes by spreading a meat mixture onto a bread loaf, smothering it with cheese, and baking until bubbly.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2-inch wide pieces

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

10 ounce frozen garlic bread loaf thawed (Pepperidge Farms brand)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 pound lean ground beef
15 ounce can of sloppy Joe sauce Manwich Original brand
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Remove your loaf of garlic bread from the freezer to allow it to thaw while you prepare the sloppy Joe mixture.
In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, add the unsalted butter and chopped onions. Saute the onions until soft and translucent.
Add the lean ground beef to the skillet and brown the meat for 5-6 minutes or until fully cooked and no pink remains. Drain any excess fat and liquids from the skillet.
To the skillet of browned ground beef and onions, on medium heat-low heat, add the sloppy Joe sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir and simmer the sloppy Joe mixture for 5 minutes.
While your sauce is simmering, remove the loaf of garlic bread from the wrapper and open the loaf. You may need to use a butter knife to help separate the two sides of the loaf. Place both sides of the garlic bread, butter side up, onto the prepared baking sheet.
Divide the sloppy Joe mixture evenly between the two pieces of garlic loaf. Be sure to spread the mixture out into an even layer.
Top each of the loaves with 1 cup of the shredded Colby jack cheese.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow the sloppy Joe loaves to cool slightly before garnishing with optional chopped fresh parsley and slicing the bread into 2-inch wide breadsticks.

Notes

Yields: 12 (2-inch wide pieces)

Storage :

These sloppy Joe breadsticks are best served immediately while they are still warm. They do not store well once made and baked. If you have leftovers, place them onto a baking sheet in a 350°F oven to reheat for about 7-10 minutes. Note that the bread will get soggy the longer these sit.

Tips:

You can prepare the sloppy Joe mixture ahead of time and allow it to cool in the skillet. Once cool, transfer it to a lidded container and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can store the sloppy Joe mixture in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before assembling and baking these sloppy Joe bread sticks. Be sure to allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes (while your oven preheats) to take the chill off the meat mixture. You may need to bake your sloppy Joe breadsticks for an additional 5 minutes if your meat mixture is cold when assembling. Alternately, you can warm your sloppy Joe mixture in a medium saucepan, on medium heat, for 4-5 minutes, then proceed with the recipe from step 7.
I love the ease of use with using the canned sloppy Joe sauce to flavor the hamburger meat. You can certainly use your own from-scratch recipe if you desire. You will need approximately 2 cups of sauce per 1 pound of lean ground beef.
When adding the sloppy Joe mixture to the garlic loaves, I like to use a large slotted spoon. This allows any excess sauce to stay in the pan. I think these work best when there is not too much excess sauce on the bread.
I always have Colby jack cheese on hand in my refrigerator. It melts really well and pleases a lot of people. You can substitute it for shredded cheddar, a combination block of mozzarella & cheddar (Kraft brand), or any combination of the above.
There are a number of different brands available for a standard frozen garlic bread loaf. They seem to vary in size anywhere between 8-16 ounces in my local stores. If your loaf is on the smaller side, then you will need to note that you may have some leftover sloppy Joe mixture that will not fit onto the garlic bread. The opposite will be true if your loaf is on the larger side, your layer of sloppy Joe mixture will be spread slightly thinner. Any of these will still work just fine. You may need to check your bake time at 10-12 minutes for the smaller loaves, and the larger loaves may need an additional 3-5 minutes. This is a very forgiving recipe. Remember, you are only melting your cheese and heating your bread. Your meat mixture is already fully cooked.
If you use a fresh loaf of French bread, you will just slice it down the center and follow the recipe as you would for the thawed garlic bread. You can leave your loaf plain, or you can spread a couple of tablespoons of softened butter onto the sliced loaves and sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of garlic salt evenly over the butter before topping the bread with the sloppy Joe mixture. You will need to check your bread at the 10-minute mark to be sure it is not getting too crispy on the bottom.