Cheesy Sloppy Joe Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

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How to make a sloppy joe shepherd's pie with ground beef, mashed potatoes, and cheese. Comfort food casserole recipe perfect for dinner!

Sloppy joe casserole with potatoes is one meal that we enjoy any time of year, but I especially love to make it around St. Patrick's Day. It's one of my family's favorite comfort meals.

And it's a fairly easy recipe, especially if you plan ahead and use leftover mashed potatoes.

The homemade sloppy joes mixture gives this casserole a delicious flavor. That and the melted cheese on top, which just adds to the comfort of sloppy joe potato casserole.

Don't think for a minute that making homemade sloppy joe meat is difficult because it's actually just a matter of adding a few seasonings and sauces to the meat to give it that saucy flavor.

Another easy dinnertime favorite we enjoy (and I enjoy making cuz it's easy) is classic tater tot casserole.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?

If you’d rather skip all of my casserole making tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the sloppy joe shepherd's pie recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

LET'S TALK INGREDIENTS

Bacon Grease: If you don't have bacon grease, don't worry. You can use olive oil or butter instead. Just use what you have.

Garlic Clove: A little tip… If you want to make recipes quicker, buy a small jar of already minced garlic and store it in the fridge. Then you'll have it for any recipes you make with garlic.

Yellow Onion: You can use a sweet onion, but we prefer a yellow onion because it's not as sugary, and it's a great all around onion for just about any recipe we make.

Ground Beef: While we prefer the taste and flavor of lean ground beef, you can use ground turkey for this recipe.

Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, and Brown Sugar: Now you can use Manwich sloppy joe sauce, but homemade is definitely going to have better flavor. And these 3 ingredients do the job well.

sloppy joe meat mixture in cast iron skillet on stovetop

Frozen Corn: I love adding a bit of thawed frozen corn to our casserole, but you can use canned corn if you don't have frozen. Keep in mind, frozen corn will be a bit crisper, and I actually prefer the flavor of frozen over canned. Another delicious idea is creamed corn instead of whole corn.

Mashed Potatoes: Use leftover mashed potatoes if possible for this recipe, and you'll save yourself even more time. To save time, you can always buy a package of already made mashed potatoes at the store; or you can make shepherd's pie with instant mashed potatoes.

Cheese: We always use a blend of extra sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack.

Keep in mind, all of the ingredients and ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.

KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:

Ninja Food Chopper Express or Cutting Board and Chef’s Knife

Large Skillet and/or Casserole Dish

Hamburger Chopper – This handy dandy tool makes it easier to chop up the meat into a much looser mixture.

Wooden Spatula

Cheese Grater

HOW TO MAKE SLOPPY JOE SHEPHERD'S PIE

Gather your ingredients, and start by cooking both your ground beef mixture and mashed potatoes.

HOW TO MAKE SLOPPY JOE SAUCE FROM SCRATCH

Start by cooking the ground beef and transforming it into sloppy joe meat.

Again, I do recommend using bacon grease for added flavor to the meat mixture. But if you don’t have bacon grease, no worries; you can also use butter or olive oil.

  1. Sauté the garlic and onion, and cook until tender, in a large skillet.
  2. Then add the meat and mix together with the garlic and onion.
  3. Cook the mixture well, draining off any excess oil.
  4. Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar into the meat, and let the whole mixture simmer for a good 5 minutes.
steps for how to make sloppy joe shepherd's pie in cast iron skillet, including cooking onion, then adding ground beef, cooking beef and onion together, and adding homemade sloppy joe sauce ingredients

LAYERING SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE WITH MASHED POTATOES

You can use a 9×13-inch casserole dish or baking dish; or you can even use a large cast iron skillet. If you use a cast iron skillet, you can pretty much go through the entire cooking process with that one skillet, making it a one skillet meal.

  1. Start with a layer of the cooked meat (your sloppy joe meat mixture) in the bottom of the pan.
  2. Next add a layer of either whole corn or creamed corn. Either one is delicious.
  3. Now add a good thick layer of mashed potatoes.
  4. Finally, add the shredded cheese as your top layer.
how to layer sloppy joe potato casserole with sloppy joe ground beef mixture, corn, mashed potatoes, and shredded cheese in cast iron skillet

Then just stick it in the oven at 350° F for about 20 to 30 minutes, 'til everything is heated thru and bubbly, and the cheese is melted.

FAQ:

How should I store any leftover casserole?

Scoop it into an airtight container with a lid (or cover with plastic wrap), and store it in the fridge. It should keep for 3 to 4 days.

Can I freeze sloppy joe mashed potato casserole?

Yes, you can. You can make it ahead of time, allow it to cool, cover it well, and freeze it for a later time. If you're going to freeze it, I'd suggest baking it in a 9×13 baking dish with an airtight lid. It should freeze well for about a month.

How do I re-heat it?

When you're ready to eat it, just remove it from the freezer ahead of time, and place it in the fridge to thaw. Then re-heat in the oven at 350° F, with a foil cover so the cheese doesn't brown. It may take 30 to 45 minutes for it to heat thru.

sloppy joe casserole with potatoes, covered with melted cheese and parsley in cast iron skillet with serving spoon

MORE SLOPPY JOE FAVORITES:

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Sloppy Joe Shepherd's Pie

How to make a sloppy joe shepherd's pie with ground beef, mashed potatoes, and cheese. Comfort food casserole recipe perfect for dinner!
4.65 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner Ideas, Main Dish – Casserole
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 425kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease (or olive oil)
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 4 cups mashed potatoes
  • 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
  • Heat the bacon grease, or olive oil, in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Then add in the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the onion in with the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the ground beef into the skillet, stirring the onions and garlic into the meat. Cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat is well cooked. Drain off any excess oil when the meat has finished cooking.
  • Mix the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar into the meat, stirring until combined. Let this mixture simmer for at least 5 minutes.
  • Layer the sloppy joe meat in the bottom of the skillet or a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Next add a layer of corn.
  • Now add a good thick layer of mashed potatoes.
  • Finally, add the shredded cheese as the top layer.
  • Bake the casserole at 350° F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through and bubbly, and the cheese is melted.

Notes

*I recommend using bacon grease for the added flavor it will give to the meat mixture. But if you don't have bacon grease, no worries; you can also use butter or olive oil.
*You can use frozen corn, canned corn, or creamed corn. Either one is delicious, but depending which one you use, it may change the nutritional counts for this recipe. Also, keep in mind, frozen corn will be a bit crisper, and I actually prefer the flavor of frozen over canned.
How should I store any leftover casserole?
Scoop it into an airtight container with a lid (or cover with plastic wrap), and store it in the fridge. It should keep for 3 to 4 days.
Can I freeze sloppy joe mashed potato casserole?
Yes, you can. You can make it ahead of time, allow it to cool, cover it well, and freeze it for a later time. If you're going to freeze it, I'd suggest baking it in a 9×13 baking dish with an airtight lid. It should freeze well for about a month.
How do I re-heat it?
When you're ready to eat it, just remove it from the freezer ahead of time, and place it in the fridge to thaw. Then re-heat in the oven at 350° F, with a foil cover so the cheese doesn't brown. It may take 30 to 45 minutes for it to heat thru.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 628mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g
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