These Italian Sloppy Joes are messy and fun to eat! This is an Italian version of sloppy joes where the bread is Texas Toast and the toast gets topped with hearty meat sauce and some melted cheese! Kids will love this recipe for dinner!
See what I mean by messy? Sometimes messy food is the best food. But it's hard to photograph though. 🙂
If you're looking for a lower-calorie version of Sloppy Joes try Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
This Spaghetti Sauce Recipe comes from a family favorite cookbook that my Mom used to make for us all the time growing up as a kid. My brother and I loved it over pasta sauce and it's also great over some Texas Toast that gets topped with melted cheese on top.
It's my go-to pasta sauce recipe and you'll want to make it all the time! It's also great over spaghetti noodles.
You can melt the cheese in the oven or air fryer. Just use some parchment paper to help get the toast out of the air fryer basket.
Jump to:
📋 Ingredients Needed
8 slices of Texas Toast bread - I’ve seen people use buns, a slice of bread, or hoagie rolls to make these Italian Sloppy Joes. If you are following Weight Watchers then look for a light bun or bread to top the spaghetti sauce with. That will help lower the points instead of using Texas toast, but if you have the points definitely use Texas toast.
You can always try my 1 Point Garlic Bread Recipe with this as well.
4 oz Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese - Use a light mozzarella cheese to top it all off. Melt the cheese in the microwave after you top the toast with the sauce. The bread might become soggy but if you don’t like that use the broiler setting on your oven to melt the cheese!
Ground Beef - 1 pound lean Ground Beef 93% or 80% lean ground beef. Can also sub ground turkey
Sugar - I have tested this recipe with and without sugar. Both ways I can't really tell the difference so it is not necessary.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🔪 How to make Italian Sloppy Joes
Step 1: Chop the onion and cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat until the onion is cooked through. About 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is no longer pink in the middle. Drain any extra fat.
Step 3: Continue adding the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sauce mix, water, and seasonings to the skillet. Stir really well and let the spaghetti sauce simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. When the cooking is done remove the bay leaf out.
Step 4: Toast bread in the air fryer. Place the garlic bread in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Air Fry at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Spoon the meat sauce over the Texas toast and top it with some mozzarella cheese. Place the basket back in the air fryer for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, just follow the instructions on the back of the package it comes in. I just really like to cook the garlic bread in the air fryer because it's so convenient.
Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic,  whatever!  Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container before putting it in the freezer or fridge.Â
A bag of fresh Ceasar salad would be great to have on the side of the meal or some chopped vegetables.
Other Air Fryer Recipes to Try
If you tried this Italian Sloppy Joe Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Print
Italian Sloppy Joes
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 37 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Sloppy Joes are messy and fun to eat. This is an Italian version of sloppy joes where the bread is Texas Toast and the toast gets topped with hearty meat sauce and some melted cheese! Kids will love this recipe for dinner!Â
Ingredients
8 slices of Texas Toast Garlic Bread
4 oz Part-Skim Mozzarella CheeseÂ
Spaghetti SauceÂ
1 pound lean Ground Beef 93%Â
¼ cup chopped onion
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 envelope Italian Mushroom spaghetti sauce mix
1 ½ cups water
½ tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon oregano leaves
1 clove garlic crushed
1 bay leave crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Chop onion and cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat until the onion is cooked through. About 5-7 minutes.Â
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is no longer pink in the middle. Drain any extra fat.Â
- Continue adding the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sauce mix, water, and seasonings to the skillet. Stir really well and let the spaghetti sauce simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. When the cooking is done remove the bay leaf out.Â
- Toast bread in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. When the toast is ready Top with ½ cup of the spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Melt the cheese in the microwave if needed.
-
Spoon the meat sauce over the Texas toast and top it with some mozzarella cheese. Place the basket back in the air fryer for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
-
Serving size: 1 slice of toast, plus ½ cup of sauce, 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese
Notes
myWW: blue: 7; green: 7; purple 7Â
The sugar is optional. I have tested this with and without and I couldn't really tell the difference if it was in there.Â
- Category: Medium
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 348
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 649mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 22g
Keywords: italian sloppy joes
Patricia J Haught says
Looks awesome