It’s hard to find fault with a Sloppy Joe. It’s the kind of dish that’s comforting in its absolute messiness and hearty and delicious to boot. So why mess with it? Well, here at 12 Tomatoes, we are big on transforming dishes into casseroles and a Sloppy Joe is the perfect candidate. When you take that hearty tomato-beef mixture and pair it with some pasta and cheesiness, well, magic happens.

The nice thing about this casserole is that you’re cooking everything in one pot, even the pasta, so there aren’t a lot of dishes to wash. You brown some ground beef and onions, and then add the Sloppy joe sauce, some diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.

The pasta simmers in that zesty, beefy mixture until it’s tender and then you stir in some cream cheese to melt in the residual heat. Maybe the sandwich isn’t particularly creamy… but it works incredibly well in this casserole version.

All that’s left to do is transfer it all to a baking dish, sprinkle some cheddar over the top, and give it long enough in the oven for the cheese to get all nice and melty.

It’s quick, it’s easy, but best of all it’s that same satisfying Sloppy Joe flavor you know and love, but bumped up with chewy pasta and some comforting cheesiness. In other words, it’s a casserole you’ll never hear a complaint about.