Sloppy joes have been a favorite for many years, and the sandwiches are fun -if messy- to eat. But, there’s a simpler way to rustle up some sloppy joes that doesn’t require making messy sandwiches.

This sloppy joe skillet bake uses Hawaiian rolls to make a casserole. Both the bottoms and the tops of the rolls go on top of the sloppy joe filling and cheese. I alternated them to make a sort of checkerboard pattern. The bigger your pan the more rolls you’ll be able to fit.

If you have a mix or canned sauce you prefer you can use that instead, but I find that this DIY version is packed with even more flavor than most store-bought seasonings.

The last step before baking is to brush the rolls with melted butter. This not only adds flavor, but it helps prevent them from burning while baking.

You may still need to cover the whole thing to keep them from getting scorched but you only need to toast the tops and melt the cheese since the meat is already cooked.

After baking you have a yummy casserole that you can eat with a knife and fork. It’s full of the sweet-savory-tomatoey sloppy joe flavor that we’ve loved all these years, but with a little extra flavor from the rolls and the cheese.

The origins of sloppy joes are not really known. They have alternately been labeled as Spanish, Creole, Cuban, and Italian. We may never know exactly where they came from but the flavor lives on today. And, with this sloppy joe skillet bake you get all that flavor with none of the mess.