Cornbread meets sloppy joes in this Cornbread Sloppy Joe Skillet! A super tasty dish that’s easy, quick, inexpensive, and only requires one pan!
More ways to enjoy cornbread include our homemade skillet cornbread and creamy cornbread casserole.
One Pan Cornbread Sloppy Joes
My good friend Julie sent me this recipe eons ago and my family has requested it constantly ever since. Over the years I’ve tweaked it a bit using my homemade sloppy joes recipe and cornbread mix.
If you like sloppy joes and also cornbread, you will absolutely love this Cornbread Sloppy Joe Skillet where the two are combined. It’s just a super easy and tasty meal, all made in one pan, great year-round and perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you need to make this easy skillet dish.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Ground beef – I use lean 80/20 to cut back on fat and grease.
- Vegetables – Onions and green bell pepper provide aromatics and great flavor.
- Sauce – Low sodium beef broth, salsa, condensed tomato soup, ketchup, and mustard.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes season this dish.
- Olive oil – Used to sauté the veggies.
- Cornbread – A package of cornbread mix, brown sugar, egg, and whole milk are combined for the cornbread topping.
Recipe Variations
The sloppy Joe filling for this recipe is pretty forgiving. Here’s how you can change some things up.
- Use chicken broth. Beef broth gives the sauce an overall deeper, richer flavor, but chicken broth can absolutely be used instead.
- Swap the salsa with Rotel. Canned Rotel is a mix of diced tomatoes and chiles and can easily be used instead of salsa. Use mild, medium, or hot, depending on how spicy you want it.
- Add in other veggies. You can sauté a cup of mushrooms along with the onion and bell pepper, or stir in a bit of canned corn with the sauce.
- Make homemade cornbread. More often than not, I use Jiffy cornbread mix for this recipe, but we love my homemade cornbread recipe if you want to use that instead – keep in mind that could alter the cook time.
How to Make Cornbread Sloppy Joe Skillet
This sloppy Joe meal is so easy to make in just a few steps and one pan.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and measurements, and don’t miss the video below.)
- Brown the beef and vegetables. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet or ovenproof pan, brown the beef and sauté the onion and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil. Break up the meat into small crumbles until cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain off grease. Season with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the sauce. Add in the condensed tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, salsa, and beef broth; mix until thoroughly combined. Let gently simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.
- Make the cornbread topping. Whisk together the corn muffin mix, milk, egg, and brown sugar. Let sit for a minute. Drop the cornbread mixture by heaping spoonfuls all over the bubbling beef (do not spread it out.)
- Bake. Transfer skillet to a preheated 400F oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 18 minutes until the cornbread topping is cooked through and golden browned.
- Serve. Enjoy portions of the sloppy Joe and cornbread with some fresh chopped parsley.
Video: Sloppy Joe Cornbread Skillet
Serving Suggestions
With the sloppy Joe filling and cornbread top, this is a pretty hearty and filling dish, but serving something light on the side for a more complete meal works, too. I recommend a simple side salad or creamy cucumber salad.
Proper Storage
- Store. Cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. It is best eaten up within 2-3 days.
- Reheat. Gently reheat in the microwave, adding a splash of broth to the meat mixture to loosen, if necessary.
More Sloppy Joe Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Cornbread Sloppy Joe Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion , finely diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 ounce can condensed tomato soup , undiluted (do not add water)
- 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/3 cup chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 8.5 ounce package Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- freshly chopped parsley , for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a 10-inch cast iron skillet or ovenproof sauté pan, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and bell pepper; breaking up the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Drain off grease.
- Stir in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Add in the condensed tomato soup, beef broth, salsa, ketchup, and mustard; mix until thoroughly combined. Let gently simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.
- In the meantime, in a medium bowl, whisk together the corn muffin mix, brown sugar, milk, and egg. Let sit for a minute.
- Drop the cornbread mixture by heaping spoonfuls all over the bubbling beef (do not spread it out.)
- Transfer skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 18 minutes until the cornbread topping is cooked through and golden browned.
- Serve portions in shallow bowls with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
Im going to try it hope it turns out good . Sounds really good .
Sooooooo yummy made mine with regular grands biscuits instead of corn bread
Send this to me please
Even thought it was 95 degrees on Saturday, I made this for dinner. This was SO SUPER YUMMY and SO easy and quick. Husband even asked for thirds. I will definitely be making this a lot in the fall and winter months to come…and probably a few more times over the summer.
I’m so glad you guys liked it! I’ve made it countless times now :D
I’d love to curl up with this bowl of comfort!
I mean, two of the best comfort foods together…what’s not to love!? So yummy!!
This is such a clever idea. My husband and picky kids loved it! I loved that there was only 1 pan to clean. HA.
Excellent weekday dinner – whole family loved it!
Made this but used an old Bisquick recipe that is really good. We loved it. Thanks for sharing!!!