Are you looking for the ultimate weeknight dinner hack? A meal that is incredibly easy to make, packed with classic, kid-friendly flavor, and so much fun to eat? These amazing, from-scratch-tasting Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups are your new go-to! We’re taking the savory, sweet, and tangy flavor of a classic Sloppy Joe and baking it inside a soft, flaky, and buttery biscuit cup for a perfect, handheld, and mostly mess-free meal that the whole family will go crazy for.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to your new favorite family dinner. We’ll show you how to use a few smart shortcuts, like refrigerated biscuit dough and your favorite barbecue sauce, to create a stunning, crowd-pleasing meal in about 30 minutes. This is the kind of satisfying, one-dish wonder that will solve all your “what’s for dinner?” dilemmas.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Fun Family Dinner
What makes these Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups so spectacularly delicious is their brilliant combination of two beloved comfort foods and their incredibly simple preparation. The “crust” is a simple tube of refrigerated flaky biscuits, which are pressed into a muffin tin to create perfect, individual, edible bowls. The filling is a quick and easy, from-scratch barbecue Sloppy Joe made with lean ground beef and a handful of fresh vegetables. Topped with a glorious blanket of gooey, melted cheddar cheese, this is a foolproof recipe that delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 30 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 10 cups |
The Essential Ingredients for This Fun Meal
This recipe uses a handful of smart shortcuts and pantry staples to create its signature comforting and savory flavor.
- The Biscuit Cups (The Genius Hack!):
- Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits: This is the ultimate, all-in-one shortcut for the perfect crust! One 12-ounce tube of your favorite brand of refrigerated flaky biscuits creates a wonderfully soft, buttery, and golden-brown cup with zero effort.
- The Easy BBQ Sloppy Joe Filling:
- Lean Ground Beef: For the best flavor without the biscuit cups becoming too greasy, it is recommended to use a lean ground beef, such as 90/10, as the recipe suggests.
- Barbecue Sauce: Using 1/2 cup of your favorite brand of barbecue sauce is a brilliant shortcut that provides an instant, all-in-one flavor base for the Sloppy Joe filling, giving it that perfect sweet, smoky, and tangy taste.
- The “Hidden” Veggies: A classic, finely chopped mirepoix of celery, onion, and green bell pepper adds a wonderful, savory flavor and is a fantastic way to sneak some extra vegetables into a kid-friendly meal.
- The Cheesy Topping: A generous sprinkle of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, melted over the top during the last few minutes of baking, creates a beautiful, bubbly, and irresistibly cheesy finish.
Step-by-Step to the Best Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups
This delicious, one-bowl meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Make the BBQ Sloppy Joe Filling
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Generously grease 10 cups of a standard-sized muffin tin.
Step 2: In a large skillet, cook the 1 pound of lean ground beef and the finely chopped celery, onion, and green pepper over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks.
Step 3: Continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease from the skillet.
Pro Tip: Draining the beef well is a crucial step that will prevent the bottom of your biscuit cups from becoming greasy or soggy.
Step 4: Stir the 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce into the skillet with the beef and vegetable mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 5: Reduce the heat and let the filling simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring it occasionally to allow the flavors to meld.
Part 2: Form the Biscuit Cups, Fill, and Bake
Step 1: While the filling is simmering, prepare your biscuit cups. Separate the tube of dough into 10 individual biscuits. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each biscuit into a 5-inch circle.
Step 2: Gently press each flattened biscuit into the bottom and up the sides of your 10 greased muffin cups.
Step 3: Fill each of the biscuit cups with the prepared beef mixture.
Step 4: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges of the biscuits are a beautiful, deep golden brown.
Step 5: Carefully remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the tops of the biscuit cups with the 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Step 6: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
Let the Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups cool in the pan for a few minutes before you serve them.
The Easiest Cheesy Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups
An easy and kid-friendly recipe that transforms the classic sloppy joe sandwich into convenient, handheld biscuit cups. This simple dish uses refrigerated biscuit dough, which is pressed into muffin cups to create a flaky crust. A savory filling is made by cooking ground beef with finely chopped celery, onion, and green pepper, and then simmering it in barbecue sauce. The biscuit cups are filled with the sloppy joe mixture and baked until golden brown, then finished with a topping of melted cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 1/4 cup each finely chopped celery, onion and green pepper
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated flaky biscuits (10 count)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease 10 muffin cups.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and the chopped vegetables (celery, onion, green pepper) over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, breaking up the beef into crumbles, until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Separate the biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Flatten each biscuit into a 5-inch circle.
- Press one biscuit circle onto the bottom and up the sides of each of the 10 greased muffin cups.
- Fill each biscuit cup with the beef mixture.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.
- Sprinkle the cups with the shredded cheddar cheese and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- This is a very quick and easy recipe, using convenient, store-bought ingredients like refrigerated biscuits and jarred barbecue sauce.
- Flattening the biscuit dough into circles allows it to form a cup shape when pressed into the muffin tin.
- This recipe is a great option for a kid-friendly weeknight dinner or a party appetizer.
What to Serve With Your Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups
These fun and hearty biscuit cups are a fantastic, all-in-one meal. They are perfect for a kid-friendly dinner and pair wonderfully with classic, simple sides.
- Classic Fries: Serve them alongside some hot, crispy french fries or tater tots with extra ketchup for dipping.
- A Simple, Crunchy Side: A side of simple, crisp coleslaw, raw carrot sticks with ranch dip, or a classic pickle spear are perfect, fresh counterpoints.
- A Simple Green Vegetable: A side of simple, steamed green beans or sweet peas is another great choice.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
These Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups are the ultimate make-ahead and freezer-friendly meal.
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast and impressive weeknight meal, you can prepare the entire Sloppy Joe filling up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, simply prepare your biscuit cups, fill them with the pre-made filling, and bake as directed.
- Storage: Store any leftover cooked biscuit cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: These muffins freeze beautifully! You can freeze them either baked or unbaked. Let the cups cool completely. You can then place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, and then transfer the frozen cups to a freezer-safe, resealable bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can bake them directly from frozen, adding about 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
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Creative Recipe Variations
- Use a Different Ground Meat: If you’re not a fan of ground beef, this recipe is also absolutely fantastic with an equal amount of lean ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Use a Classic Sloppy Joe Sauce: If you prefer a more traditional, tomato-based flavor, you can substitute the 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce with about 3/4 to 1 cup of your favorite canned Sloppy Joe sauce (like Manwich®).
- Add a Different Topping: For a delicious, Tex-Mex-inspired twist, you can use a shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of the cheddar and top the finished cups with a dollop of sour cream and some sliced jalapeños.
Enjoy The Ultimate Fun Family Dinner!
You’ve just created a truly special dish that is a perfect harmony of fun, classic ingredients and delicious, satisfying flavors. These Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups are a testament to the power of a simple, creative idea to become an instant family favorite. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new, much-requested staple for busy weeknights.
We hope you enjoy every last, perfect, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, easy, and comforting meal!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the best way to keep the bottom of my biscuit cups from getting soggy?
The two most important secrets are to grease your muffin tin very well and to make sure you have drained all the excess fat from your cooked ground beef mixture before you add the barbecue sauce. This will prevent any extra grease from pooling at the bottom of the biscuit cup.
Q2: Can I make these Sloppy Joe cups ahead of time and freeze them?
Yes, this is a perfect freezer meal! The best method is to assemble the unbaked cups completely in the muffin tin. You can then place the entire tin in the freezer until the cups are frozen solid. Once they are frozen, you can pop them out and store them in a freezer-safe, resealable bag. When you are ready to eat, you can bake them directly from frozen, just be sure to add about 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Q3: Can I use a different kind of refrigerated dough, like crescent rolls?
You can, but the texture will be a bit different. Refrigerated crescent roll dough is much thinner and more delicate than biscuit dough, so your final cups will be a bit softer and less sturdy. If you use crescent roll dough, you may want to reduce the initial baking time by a few minutes.
Q4: Can I make these in a mini muffin tin for an appetizer?
Yes, absolutely! This is a fantastic idea for a party appetizer. Simply use a mini muffin tin and press a smaller piece of biscuit dough into each cup. You will need to reduce the baking time significantly, to about 8-10 minutes total, so be sure to keep a close eye on them.
Q5: Can I make my own homemade Sloppy Joe sauce for this recipe?
Of course! If you have a favorite homemade Sloppy Joe sauce recipe, you can absolutely use that instead of the barbecue sauce. You will need about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of your prepared sauce.