Sloppy Joe Lasagna
Easy Sloppy Joe Lasagna recipe hack. Sloppy Joe sauce, tomatoes, ground beef, mushrooms, ricotta and cheese make a unique lasagna dinner.
Within this recipe post you’ll learn how to make Sloppy Joes…as a lasagna! And it’s easier than you think. Plus you’ll learn about oven-ready lasagna noodles and why they are preferred over traditional lasagna noodles.
Instead of the standard pasta or marinara sauce, I used canned diced tomatoes and sloppy joe sauce. Then a creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheese filling, and topped with cheddar cheese. I’m pretty sure you can never have too much cheese in a lasagna.
Like a lightning bolt, Sloppy Joe Lasagna instantly appeared in my head (I hope it’s that easy with those olives and peanut butter). In retrospect there are other variations out there of this, but I’m proud to have thought of this and make it my own. How does Sloppy Joe Lasagna work you ask?
Oven-ready lasagna noodles keeps the recipe prep fast and simple. No pre-boiling or water needed; just layer ingredients and the liquid from the sauce will cook the pasta as it bakes. Crumbled ground beef and sliced mushrooms add heartiness and flavor, while rounding out this Sloppy Joe Lasagna hack.
Why oven-ready lasagna noodles are better and how they cook
If you’ve ever made lasagna before like Chicken Alfredo Lasagna or with traditional boil ahead-of-time noodles you probably know how much of a hassle it can be. For one it takes longer, at least 20 minutes added to your recipe. Plus you run the risk of over or under cooking them; and once you’re ready to assemble they can stick together or flop around.
Oven-ready lasagna noodles are much thinner and have a slightly different gluten ratio. They cook from the liquid and steam during baking; that’s why this recipe uses the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Make sure to completely coat the noodles during layering and don’t overlap them.
Tightly sealing the dish with two layers of foil to keep the heat and moisture in and evenly cook. LA Times has an interesting article on these noodles.
You can serve this Sloppy Joe Lasagna with Shrimp Scampi Flatbread Pizza for a satisfying and complete meal!
Other dinner recipes you might like:
- Chicken Katsu
- Roasted Cornish Hens
- Grilled Rack of Lamb
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Grilled London Broil Steak
- Prime Rib with Potatoes
- Short Ribs with Korean Sauce
Recipe at-a-glance
Flavor profiles: Rich, savory and umami from the tomatoes, sloppy joe sauce and ground beef.
Texture: Dense, chewy, creamy, saucy and comforting.
Dietary Options/Substitutions: Omit beef for vegetarian. Use zucchini slices instead of noodles for gluten-free
Sloppy Joe Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 15-ounce can loppy Joe Sauce
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 8-12 ounces oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Heat olive oil in large non-stick pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook 3–5 minutes until fragrant, stirring often.
- Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is browned, 7–10 minutes, breaking up meat and stirring during cooking.
- Remove from heat and drain excess oil. Stir in diced tomatoes (with liquid) and sloppy joe sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, egg and dried basil.
- Evenly spread bottom of a greased 10 x14 baking dish with about ½ cup sauce mixture. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles. Spread with a thin layer of ricotta cheese mixture then top with all of sliced mushrooms.
- Repeat steps starting with sauce, noodles, then cheese until ingredients are used. Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese.
- Completely cover with 2 layers of foil to create a seal. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and noodles are cooked.
Hello, I am excited to make this. I have 2 questions: I could only find a 14.5 oz can of Hunts Diced Tomatoes instead of 15. Will this be okay? Also, what size egg with this? Thanks.
Hi. That little bit won’t make a difference and it’s a large egg. Thanks!
Looks easy and delicious! A win win! 🙂
Well said. Thanks Danita!
Looks so easy to bake! Yum!
It sure is! Thanks Nicole!
What an excellent idea! Sloppy Joes as a lasagna. I bet that will be less “sloppy.” And how fun to do “chopped” with co-workers.
Thanks Kerry! That’s right. It has pretty much the sane consistency and texture as traditional lasagna.
Love the sloppy joe idea! Such a great difference in the traditional!
Thanks so much Reesa!
What a fun way to combine two different dishes! I haven’t had a sloppy joe in a long time!
Same here and really enjoyed this. Thanks Debi!
Fun recipe. It looks delicious!
Thanks Kallee!
Sloppy Joes are a family favorite, I bet we would like this too!
You can’t go wrong with Sloppy Joes. Thanks Jamie!
Fun lasagna and I love that you guys did a “chopped” – I love that show
Fun idea right?! Thanks Christine!
This sounds amazing! I bet my kids would love it!
I’m pretty sure they would Debra!
I like different recipes like these!
Thanks Melanie!
I love mashup recipes like these, look amazing!
They’re fun right?! Thanks Julian!
i love sloppy joes so this is right up my alley!! Thanks for sharing the recipe and tips!
You’re welcome and thank you Cori!