Sloppy Giuseppes – An Italian Twist on Traditional Sloppy Joes

Repurpose your leftover bolognese sauce to make this delicious cheesy, Italian twist on traditional sloppy joes. I promise you, Sloppy Giuseppes will be a crowd pleaser.

Repurposing Leftovers

This past week, I finished this wonderful Fettuccini Bolognese recipe. Bolognese is one of my family’s favorite Italian sauces so I typically make a lot. Since I knew I was going to have a lot of leftover sauce the last time I made it, I thought it would be fun to come up with a new food idea to use the sauce.

Given the bolognese sauce is Italian, I wanted to continue in that Italian direction. And, since the sauce is so deliciously thick, I thought it would make a perfect sandwich filling.

As I often do, I headed back to my childhood for some inspiration. What dinner favorite could I repurpose and update? The answer – classic sloppy joes.

For my family, regular sloppy joes were just browned ground beef to which you added a can of sloppy joe mix. Put that mixture on some plain white buns, grab some chips and call it dinner! I felt like I could definitely one-up this classic recipe with a delicious twist – bolognese.

The Sloppy Giuseppe

So, I decided to make some Italian sloppy joes and give them a fun name – sloppy giuseppes (as Giuseppe is the Italian word for Joe or Joseph). Plus, as we know, sloppy joes can get kind of messy so we can also call them messy giuseppes!

If you have dinner duty, these are pretty easy to pull together. Basically, the sloppy giuseppe is like a sloppy joe, but with an Italian twist.

First, the bread. Frankly, I could put some bolognese sauce on top of a piece of garlic toast, top with parmesan cheese and call it good. But, we want to make this a sandwich!

So, instead of using plain hamburger buns, I built the sandwiches on ciabatta rolls. I love using ciabatta rolls because they stand up well as sandwich rolls with that crunchy, chewy exterior and soft interior. Plus, they’re just really tasty.

So, I put a scoop of bolognese on the bottom half of a ciabatta roll and then (since everything’s better with cheese), I added a slice of mozzarella on top of the bolognese. The cheese is a milder flavor that perfectly compliments the stronger flavors of the bolognese. You can also substitute a slice of provolone or some shredded mozzarella.

Then, to put it totally over the top, I brushed some garlic herb butter on top of the buns. Once that’s done, bake the sandwiches until the cheese is melted and the buns are nice and toasty. A happy treat for a happy family!

What If I Don’t Have Leftover Bolognese?

If you still want an Italian style sloppy joe, but don’t have any leftover bolognese (or the time to make any), there is a pretty simple hack. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ½ pound of ground beef or pork in a little bit of olive oil. Add in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.

At this point, reduce the heat to low. Keep uncovered and let simmer until it has the consistency of a sloppy joe mix. You still have all the Italian flavors, but with a lot less work.

And, feel free to dress up this meaty marinara sauce. Add in a couple cloves of garlic, green peppers, dried oregano, red pepper flakes for some heat and maybe ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.

Tips and Tricks

• If you don’t have any leftover bolognese, brown about ½ pound ground beef or pork and add enough of your favorite marinara sauce to create a sauce the same consistency as traditional sloppy joe filling.
• I do prefer using mozzarella cheese slices, but if you don’t have any on hand, sliced provolone cheese or shredded mozzarella are good substitutions.
• Don’t skip the garlic butter brushed on top of the ciabatta rolls. It takes the sandwiches to the next level.
• I love to serve these sandwiches with either Easy Rosemary Garlic Fries or Lemon Basil Pasta Salad.

Ingredients Needed to Make Sloppy Giuseppes

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Leftover bolognese sauce (click Here for a great bolognese recipe) 
• Ciabatta rolls
• Sliced mozzarella cheese
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• Dried Italian seasoning

How to Make Sloppy Giuseppes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Reheat bolognese sauce in the microwave or on the stove top.
3. Slice the rolls in half.
4. Spread ¼ cup of the bolognese on the bottom of each roll, top with a slice of cheese and the top of the roll.
5. Melt butter and stir in garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
6. Brush butter mixture on the top of each sandwich.
7. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and buns are golden brown.

ENJOY!

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