Ground beef, cheddar cheese and a rich, flavorful tomato sauce make this Sloppy Joe Orzo an easy one-pot pasta dish with your favorite comfort food flavors.
Outside of the Bun
Everything you love about saucy, delicious sloppy Joes in a one-pot pasta your whole family will dive right into. Sloppy Joe Orzo is so simple and yet so flavorful and satisfying. Ground beef, cheddar cheese, a rich tomato sauce and rice-sized pasta come together in a comforting, family-friendly midweek meal you’ll love.
One-Pot Sloppy Joe Pasta
Y’all know how much I love a simple, easy sloppy Joe. It takes me right back to summertime as a kid. Licking that messy tomato sauce off my fingers. Well, I made things a little neater with my Sloppy Joe Casserole, and now this Sloppy Joe Orzo. It’s all of those wonderful flavors in a one-pot dinner that’s so quick to prepare and a huge hit with the whole family. Serve it with a side salad, or some Crispy Oven-Fried Broccoli for an easy, filling dinner.
Ingredients and Supplies
(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details)
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Lean ground beef
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped yellow onion
- Dry orzo pasta
- Minced garlic
- Low-sodium beef broth
- Canned tomato sauce
- Canned tomato paste
- Light brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Supplies:
How to Make Sloppy Joe Orzo
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and season generously with salt and pepper. Crumble and cook the beef, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and browned well, about 10 minutes. Remove beef from the skillet.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the orzo and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until orzo is lightly toasted and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring frequently, until liquid is mostly absorbed and orzo is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Turn heat to low. Stir in the cooked beef and then add the shredded cheese.
- Stir until melted. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheat individual serving in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval. Or reheat in a skillet on the stove over medium-low, stirring occasionally until heated through. When reheating, if the sauce is too thick, stir in one tablespoon of water of beef broth at a time until of desired thickness.
More Hot Meals in Minutes
Get family dinner on the table in about 30 minutes with My Favorite Hot Meals in Minutes. These delicious and quick dinner recipes are perfect for weeknight meals when time is short and the crowd is hungry.
If you make this Sloppy Joe Orzo, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Sloppy Joe Orzo
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
Ground beef, cheddar cheese and a rich, flavorful tomato sauce make this Sloppy Joe Orzo an easy one-pot pasta dish with your favorite comfort food flavors.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 and 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and season generously with salt and pepper. Crumble and cook the beef, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and browned well, about 10 minutes. Remove beef from the skillet.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the orzo and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until orzo is lightly toasted and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring frequently, until liquid is mostly absorbed and orzo is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Turn heat to low. Stir in the cooked beef and then the shredded cheese until melted. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
