Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are one of the tastiest, messiest sandwiches you’ll ever make. These open-faced sloppy joes with piles of cheese and sauce atop thick slices of garlic Texas toast will have your tastebuds doing a happy dance in just minutes. I’ve been making this quick and easy recipe for years, and my family absolutely devours them every time. The combination of savory sloppy joe mixture with melty mozzarella cheese on crispy, buttery Texas toast is simply irresistible. Trust me, you’re going to fall head over heels for this recipe.
What Kind of Meat Should I Use?
You can use just about any kind of ground meat for these sloppy sandwich stacks. Ground beef is classic, but ground turkey or a beef/turkey mix also works well. For a heartier flavor, try spicy ground sausage. And if you happen to have leftover meatloaf or taco meat, those make amazing sloppy joe fillings too. Get creative and use up whatever meat you have on hand!
Why is My Sloppy Joe Mixture Runny?
If your sloppy joe mixture comes out soupy instead of nice and thick after simmering, don’t panic! This likely means your ratio of ingredients is a little off. Be sure to thoroughly drain any grease from the meat before adding your sauce. An extra spoonful or two of tomato paste often helps thicken up a runny sloppy joe filling as well. Keep simmering until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Can I Prepare Them Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! In fact, preparing these messy masterpieces in advance makes serving them even easier. You can fully assemble the sandwiches and keep them tucked in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking. Or bake them ahead and freeze the assembled sandwiches until ready to reheat and dig in.
Ingredients List:
- Lean Ground Beef: 1 pound
- Finely Chopped Onion: ½ cup
- Sloppy Joe Sauce (Homemade or 15 ounces store-bought): 1 batch
- Frozen Texas Toast: 6 pieces
- Mozzarella Cheese: 1 cup
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Cook beef and onion in a skillet until beef is no longer pink; drain excess fat.
- Stir in the sloppy joe sauce and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Place Texas toast on a baking sheet and bake until golden, roughly 5 minutes.
- Evenly spread the beef mixture over each toast slice, then sprinkle with cheese.
- Return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Additional Tips:
- For a cheesy crust, broil the sandwiches for 1 minute after adding the cheese.
- Enhance the flavor by rubbing garlic over the toast before adding the beef mixture.
- Store any leftover beef mixture separately from the toast. Reheat on the stovetop and assemble sandwiches as per steps 4-6 for a quick meal.
