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Sloppy Joe Cups

These Sloppy Joe Cups are a fun, flavorful and easy weeknight dinner recipe! They are made with a simple homemade sloppy joe filling, crescent dough and of course, cheese!

AN EASY HANDHELD DINNER RECIPE

If you haven’t noticed I really like these “cup” recipes. I have a bunch on the site including Taco Cups, Chicken Parmesan Cups and Philly Cheesesteak Cups. How can you beat a handheld dinner that even the pickiest of eaters enjoy?! Today I’m bringing you my Sloppy Joe Cups. These are full of our favorite childhood sandwich filling and topped with cheese. This recipe would even be a fun and nostalgic appetizer for get togethers. The bonus is they aren’t as messy as the real deal! So if you are looking to change up or add to your usual dinner routine then you’ll have to try this Sloppy Joe Cup recipe – ASAP!

Three stacked Sloppy Joe Cups with top one cut open showing inside filling.

TIPS AND TRICKS ON MAKING SLOPPY JOE CUPS:

  • If you do not want to use a homemade filling you can brown your ground beef and use a canned Sloppy Joe sauce. Whatever makes it easier for you!
  • I really enjoy the crescent dough sheets since I can find them a lot easier now and they are easy to cut. But if you cannot find them you can use regular crescent rolls –  just pinch the seams together.
  • Use any cheese that you like on top of this. There are no rules here. Freshly shredded is the best as it melts better.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled to serve more people.
  • I like to use lean ground beef but ground sausage or pork will also work!
  • I usually serve these cups with a fresh salad or some steamed broccoli or carrots.
Sloppy Joe Cups on plate with one cut open showing filling.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • butter
  • onion
  • green bell pepper
  • garlic
  • ground beef
  • beef stock
  • ketchup
  • tomato paste
  • brown sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • crescent roll dough sheet
  • cheddar cheese
Ingredients needed: unsalted butter, diced onion, diced green bell pepper, garlic, ground beef, beef stock, ketchup, tomato paste, light brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, crescent roll dough sheet and shredded cheddar cheese.

HOW TO MAKE SLOPPY JOE CUPS:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet over medium-low heat melt the butter once hot. Add the onion and green bell pepper and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the garlic and stir in until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the ground beef, break it up in the pan and brown it until there is no pink left. If there is a lot of excess fat or water in the pan, drain the beef.

Browned ground beef, onion and green pepper in pan being cooked.

Add the beef stock, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the pan.

Beef stock, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper added to ground beef mixture.

Stir it in until combined. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and set aside.

Stirred and simmered filling in pan with wooden spatula.

Roll out the crescent dough on a clean work surface and cut it into 8 even squares. Generously grease 8 sections of a muffin tin with baking spray and gently press in the crescent dough into the sections making sure the corners overlap the sides.

Cut crescent dough pressed into 8 wells of muffin pan.

Evenly distribute the filling among the cups.

Sloppy Joe filling added to crescent dough in pan.

 Overlap the corners over the filling.

Sides of crescent dough folded over the top off the filling.

Add the cheese on top of each the cups.

Shredded cheese sprinkled over the top of folded crescent dough in pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Garnish with optional parsley and serve.

Close up image of on Sloppy Joe Cup cut open showing filling.

HOW TO STORE:

  • These Sloppy Joe Cups can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to 3-4 days. You can easily remove and heat up in the microwave until heated through.
  • These can also be frozen! To freeze: bake and cool completely then place in a freezer bag and they should stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then microwave or heat on the lowest setting on your oven to reheat these.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Square close up image of one Sloppy Joe Cup Recipe cut open showing filling on inside

Sloppy Joe Cups

These Sloppy Joe Cups are a fun, flavorful and easy weeknight dinner recipe! They are made with a simple homemade sloppy joe filling, crescent dough and cheese!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet over medium-low heat melt the butter once hot. Add the onion and green bell pepper and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the garlic and stir in until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add the ground beef, break it up in the pan and brown it until there is no pink left. If there is a lot of excess fat or water in the pan, drain the beef.
  • Add the beef stock, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the pan.
  • Stir it in until combined. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and set aside.
  • Roll out the crescent dough on a clean work surface and cut it into 8 even squares.
  • Generously grease 8 sections of a muffin tin with baking spray and gently press in the crescent dough into the sections making sure the corners overlap the sides.
  • Evenly distribute the filling among the cups.
  • Overlap the corners over the filling.
  • Add the cheese on top of each of the cups.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Then serve!

Notes

  • If you do not want to use a homemade filling you can brown your ground beef and use a canned Sloppy Joe sauce. Whatever makes it easier for you!
  • I really enjoy the crescent dough sheets since I can find them a lot easier now and they are easy to cut. But if you cannot find them you can use regular crescent rolls –  just pinch the seams together.
  • Use any cheese that you like on top of this. There are no rules here. Freshly shredded is the best as it melts better.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled to serve more people.
  • I like to use lean ground beef but ground sausage or pork will also work!
  • I usually serve these cups with a fresh salad or some steamed broccoli or carrots.
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 981mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These taste great! Next time I’ll probably get the crescent sheets to save a little time/hassle and make a double batch so I can freeze half. Thanks for sharing the recipe.