Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole

This Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole is an easy family-friendly dinner that combines everything you love about sloppy joes with a crunchy, cheesy twist! Sweet and tangy ground beef, seasoned chili beans, and a rich homemade sloppy joe sauce are topped with crunchy Frito chips and plenty of melted cheese.

The best part? This easy ground beef casserole takes just 30 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy weeknights. It’s hearty, full of flavor, and a fun way to change up a sloppy joe dinner, plus it’s budget-friendly. Serve it straight from the baking dish or spoon it onto toasted hamburger buns for a cheesy, crunchy twist on a sloppy joe sandwich.

The ground beef mixture is perfectly sweet and tangy and made with pantry staples you are likely to have on hand. It’s a delicious mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.

If you love a ground beef casserole for dinner, be sure to try Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole, Beef Florentine Casserole, and French Onion Beef Casserole.

How To Make Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole

(Full instructions and video in recipe box below)

Brown the ground beef and cook the onion.
Add the ketchup, chili beans, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Simmer until it thickens a little. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a baking dish and top with Fritos and cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Overhead of Frito Casserole in a 9x13-inch pan.

Recipe Tips

I like using chili beans for this recipe. They have lots of southwestern seasonings added. You can omit the beans if you don’t like them.

Drain the ground beef well. Removing excess grease helps keep the casserole from being oily.

The Fritos are at their crunchiest right after baking so this dish is best eaten right away.

You will probably not need the entire bag of Fritos. You be the judge of how much crunchy topping you want.

Taste before adding salt. Fritos, cheese, and chili beans already contain salt, so go easy on any additional salt.

Variations

Make it spicy. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or add a chopped jalapeno when you add the onion.
Change the cheese. I use shredded Mexican cheese. I like its mild flavor. For a stronger flavor, use cheddar cheese or Pepper jack for a spicier flavor.
Skip the beans. Omit the beans if your family doesn’t care for beans. If you want to replace them with something, you can add some corn.
Use ground turkey. Substitute ground turkey for beef, cooking it thoroughly.

Make Ahead

You can prepare the sloppy joe filling ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container. When you are ready to eat, transfer the filling to a baking dish, add the Fritos and cheese, and bake until hot and bubbly.

Storage

Leftovers will keep for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator but the fritos get soggy. They will crisp back up a bit if you reheat it in a toaster oven or air fryer.

Serving of Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole on a plate.

Try These Other Sloppy Joe Favorites

Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole

Sloppy Joe Frito Casserole- this ground beef casserole has it all. Tons of flavor, ground beef, beans, cheese, and a crunchy Frito topping.

Course Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword ground beef casserole

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 751kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large sweet or yellow onion diced
1 ½ cups ketchup
1 can chili beans
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 (9-ounce) bag Frito chips
3 cups shredded Mexican cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Crumble and brown the ground beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the ground beef is broken into pieces, add the onion.
Cook until there is no longer any pink in the ground beef.
Drain off any grease.
Add ketchup, chili beans, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle Fritos on top of ground beef mixture.
Sprinkle cheese on top of Fritos.
Bake for 15 minutes.