~ A deliciously fun twist on two dinnertime favorites, these Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes are on the table in about 15 minutes! You can even make them entirely ahead for quick dinners and meal prep throughout the week. Or, you can freeze the ground beef mixture to stockpile lightning-fast dinners for months! ~

This Recipe Is:   •  Ready in 30 Minutes or Less  •  Freezable  •  Make Ahead  •

All in about 15 minutes. Let’s repeat that together, shall we … 15 minutes!!!

Yeah. You’re starting to feel this one now, aren’t ya? Probably starting to drool on your screen a little, too.

Still, you might be wondering … why mess with a good thing two good things?

But trust me.

Sloppy joes? Good.

Cheeseburgers? Yes – very, very good.

Blur them together, and something altogether different and even more wonderful happens. It does! I promise!

Oh … and did I mention the 15-minute thing happening here? 😉

A Deliciously Fun Mash-Up

Combine two good things and you just might get another, even greater thing!

So really, this Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe recipe should’ve happened much sooner! I mean, the idea’s been kicking around here at THK for nearly six years, ever since a tiny little mention from waaaaaaay back on one of our very first recipes, in our post for Cheeseburger Salad (yup – that’s yet another delicious mash-up!).

Amidst her adorable explanation of her “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” Gretchen (you remember her, right?!? – she was my blogging partner back when we first launched THK) mentioned that you could freeze the “frozen cheeseburger yumminess” she piles on top of that salad, and then serve it up like sloppy joes for a super-fast dinner solution on busy weeknights.

Ohhhhhh … Brilliant!

But, alas, I’d forgotten all about that idea, until one day last fall when I happened to be poking back through the Cheeseburger Salad recipe and kind of had one of those face palm moments. Why-oh-why hadn’t Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes happened in my house?!? As I read Gretchen’s suggestion from years ago, I wanted to eat that IMMEDIATELY (like “get in my belly” immediately).

Well, rest assured, I fixed that situation quick-quick! Now, we make this fun twist on sloppy joes regularly, and looooooove it every time we do!

So let’s take a peek at how easily these come together, in only about 15 easy minutes!

Visual Step-By-Step for Easy Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes

These come together in pretty much the same way as our other sloppy joe recipes (our “classic” Homemade Sloppy Joes and our Pizza Sloppy Joes).

1) We start with extra lean beef – so you still get all that hearty, beefy flavor, but without too many unwanted “bad” fats.

2) After you brown and drain the beef in a nonstick skillet (I love this one), you stir up a scrumptious sloppy joe sauce made of just two (simple!) burger mainstays – ketchup and mustard.

How easy is that?!? Big {burger-y} flavor from ingredients you’ve already got in your fridge!

3) At the last minute, you stir in crisp onions, juicy fresh tomatoes, and crunchy sweet pickles. We specifically add these after the heat’s been turned off, so they’re evenly incorporated into the deliciously drippy-sloppy-burgery mixture, but they still retain all their fresh texture – basically just the same way that you toss slices of onions, tomatoes and pickles onto a traditional cheeseburger.

That trifecta of burger toppings – those onions, tomatoes and sweet pickles – adds up to loads of wonderful texture, and a perfect blend of savory and sweet flavors!

But WAAAAIT a moment. Hold up there. Did you just read that right?!? Sweet pickles?

Yesiree! Sweet pickles are a fun flavor twist here and an absolute must-try. I know you no doubt think dill pickles when you think cheeseburgers, but crunchy-briny sweet pickles are the perfectly-most-perfect choice to accent the sweetness already coming through from the tomato ketchup. Trust me! (Actually – trust Gretchen. She introduced us all to this creative idea back in that Cheeseburger Salad recipe I mentioned earlier. She’s always got the best ideas, and she was exactly right about this whole sweet pickle thing, for sure!)

4) Now, simply pile your sloppy, cheeseburger-y goodness on some soft, whole-grain buns, and (of course) toss a slice of cheese on top!

When we first started testing this recipe, we tried stirring shredded cheese directly into the sloppy joe mixture, but found that we really loved the cheeseburger vibe that happened when we draped a slice of American cheese on top, instead.

And with that final crowning glory of melty cheese, dinner is served!

In no time flat, your family’s making yummmmm noises, and you’re feeling like a dinnertime rock star (and wondering how you ever survived before, without Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes in your life).

But, what if you don’t what to serve dinner just yet? What it you love to meal prep, and even freeze ahead? Well, then the joy just continues! Check it out …

Sloppy Joe Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

These Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes work brilliantly as a make-ahead dinner or meal prep recipe!

1) Weekly Meal Prep – You can completely prepare the entire sloppy joe mixture (including the tomatoes, onions and pickles), and then cool it down and refrigerate it. It’ll reheat beautifully for quick meals all week long. When hunger strikes, all you have to do is gently reheat the sloppy joe mixture, then spoon it on a bun and top with cheese. Dinner in … what … maybe 1 minute flat?!? Ok … that’s awesome.

2) Freezer Meal Options – So what about freezing this? Great idea!

We recommend cooking the ground beef, and stirring in the ketchup and mustard, then cooling it down and freezing it at that point – BEFORE adding the final ingredients like the onions, tomatoes and pickles. As we explain on the recipe card, those last ingredients are meant to be fresh and full of great texture – they won’t hold up well to freezing.

So, mix up that ground beef base (and, you know, maybe make a double- or triple-batch while you’re at it), and stash that in the freezer, all ready to pull out and finish this recipe in a jiffy!

Or, switch it up and use your “frozen assets” to try Gretchen’s Cheeseburger Salad instead!

A couple last thoughts before you dash to the grocery store, desperate to try this (because yes, it’s truly THAT good!) …

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Beef – As mentioned above, choose very lean beef for this recipe to reduce the overall fat content. We prefer to grab 96% lean beef, which is still plenty moist enough in this recipe, thanks to the yummy sauce.

• Onions – Since the onions are added at the last minute and are basically raw (just like if you’d topped a regular cheeseburger with onion slices), we prefer to use a sweet onion in this recipe, so it still has great flavor but a little less spicy-bite than a raw yellow or Spanish onion would.

• Tomatoes – We reach for grape or cherry tomatoes for this recipe, which tend to be more reliably flavorful year-round. If you want to try a larger tomato (like a plum tomato or beefsteak), definitely only go that route if it’s tomato season and you know you’ll score great flavors. Also, with those larger tomatoes, you’ll want to be sure to remove the seeds and inner membranes.

• Sweet pickles (and ketchup) – Ok. We’ve covered this. Trust me. Trust Gretchen. Ignore the traditional dill pickles and grab some sweet gherkins! One word of caution on the sweet pickles, and also the ketchup, however: many brands use high-fructose corn syrup in both of these. Look for all-natural or organic options instead.

Alrighty, my friends! There you have it … everything you need to know to make this ridiculously easy, lickity-split-FAST dinner recipe.

Throw it into the rotation next time your week looks hectic and you’re dying for something unique but EASY. I’ll just bet it becomes a regular at your house, just like it has at ours! Enjoy!