Delicious low carb homemade sloppy Joe filling baked over an easy almond flour “cornbread” crust makes a hearty comfort food casserole. Keto and Glutenfree
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I cook the majority of our meals in a frying pan on the stove. I find it’s one of the fastest ways to get dinner on the table. Although I have a great non-stick ceramic pan, I find myself reaching for my cast iron skillet again and again. I love to use it for casseroles with bread bases like my Mexican Cornbread Casserole. The Mexican casserole has an almond flour “cornbread” base topped with taco meat, cheese, and other yummy things. It’s one of my family’s favorite dinners.
I bought my cast iron skillet at Target, but I have bought other cast iron pans from Amazon. A good cast iron pan can also be found at thrift shops and antique stores. Make sure to scour away any rust with steel wool before seasoning your pan.
Sloppy Joe Casserole Base
This sloppy Joe casserole starts with a mock keto cornbread base, which is made from cheese, eggs, and almond flour. A little sweet corn extract (found on Amazon) gives it an authentic cornbread flavor. The extract is pricy, but it’s lasted over a year since I only use it for cornbread.
If you are allergic to almond flour you may want to try this recipe for coconut flour cornbread I found on Google.
Keto Sloppy Joe Filling
I have an amazing low carb sloppy Joe recipe that I serve on low carb buns for the adults and regular buns for the kiddos. I flavor it with a little tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and other common ingredients. Instead of brown sugar, I use Sukrin Gold which is a natural brown sugar alternative. I love to use this sloppy joe recipe for sloppy Joe stuffed peppers. Talk about a great tasting meal!
To make this sloppy Joe filling for this casserole, cook ground beef. Then, saute with onions, garlic, bell pepper and remaining ingredients until the meat absorbs much of the liquid. Let the filling cool while you make the cornbread base. Spread the base into a cast iron skillet. Mix the sloppy Joe filling with cheddar cheese and gently spoon it over the casserole base. Top with more cheddar cheese and bake.
I love how this recipe cooks in the skillet so no casserole dish is needed. The keto cornbread base becomes golden brown and the flavorful ground beef and sauce absorbs into the base. It’s so good!
Serve the sloppy Joe casserole with a crisp green salad and you’re good to go.
To re-heat, place a serving on a microwaveable place and top with a piece of waxed paper. Microwave at 30 second intervals until hot. To reheat in the oven. Place a serving in a small baking dish, sprinkle with a few drops of water and cover aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until hot.
Cast Iron Sloppy Joe Casserole
Ingredients
Sloppy Joe Casserole Filling
- 1 recipe Homemade Sloppy Joes (or your favorite recipe)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (1/2 mixed into filling later and 1/2 for topping)
Low Carb Cornbread Base
- 1 cup part skim mozzarella shredded cheese
- 2 cups almond flour (fluff up with whisk before measuring)
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Amoretti Sweet Corn Extract
Instructions
Sloppy Joe Filling:
- Make the sloppy Joe filing per directions. Let cool slightly, then stir in half of the cheddar cheese.
Cornbread Base:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter or oil a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- Place the cheeses, eggs, almond flour, baking powder and extract (if using) in a food processor. Process until a thick batter forms.
Method:
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cast iron skillet and gently spread evenly to the sides of the pan.
- Top the batter with the sloppy Joe filling and bake for 35-40 minutes. Top with the rest of the cheddar cheese and return to the oven until melted.
- Let the Sloppy Joe Casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with a crisp salad. Serves 8 at 7 net carbs each.
Notes
Nutrition
Does the nutritional information include the suggested sloppy Joe mixture?
Hi Kristina. The nutritional information is for one serving of the Sloppy Joe Casserole, which includes the “cornbread” base and the sloppy Joe mixture. -Kim
Used Balsamic vinegar instead of Red Wine, and orange bell peppers instead of Green. (It’s what I had on-hand). Also reduced the crust by 1/3rd since I didn’t have a 10″ cast iron, used an 8×8 glass pan. Baked @340’F for 25 minutes. (Probably should have let it go for another 3 – 5 minutes) Fantastic taste. My non-keto daughter actually asked to have it as leftovers instead of pizza!
I did use the Amoretti extract but really couldn’t taste it. I did notice after the fact it said to shake well, so I’ll try that next time.
Can I substitute the sweet corn extract for something else?
Hi Jessica. You don’t have to use it at all. It just makes the base taste like cornbread. It’s just as good without. -Kim
Any tips for making this ahead of time? I am wondering if I can assemble the whole pie and then wait a few hours to bake it.
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca. I think that would work. While I might not want to put my cast iron in the refrigerator in fear of causing rusting, you could probably assemble in a square pyrex baking dish. I would put it on the counter to come to temperature while the oven preheats. Glass is funny. Typically, oven temps are decreased by 25 degrees when using glass for baking recipes. I haven’t cooked this in a glass baking dish, so I don’t know what temperature or how long to bake it. I would check it after 20 minutes and see. -Kim
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was a big hit. That cornbread crust was amazing. I am so glad I splurged on the sweet corn extract. This was the third recipe of yours I have made this week. Thank you for these easy and delicious recipes.
Of all the Low Carb Blogs, I come to yours the most. Thank You for sharing your recipes. Another Winner!
If I wanted to substitute the coconut flour corn bread that you linked to in your notes instead of using the corn bread in your recipe (I need dairy-free) could I still bake it in the cast iron pan following the method in your recipe.
It depends how thin the batter is. If it is really thin, then bake the coconut flour corn bread while you cook the sloppy Joe filling. Then, mix the cheese into the warm filling, spoon on top of the corn bread base, top with cheese and bake for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted. The filling will be a little more moist this way. -Kim
We scarfed it right up! I didn’t use corn extract because I thought it would be difficult to find – we’re living in China – but it was AWESOME without it. The crust ended up fluffy and I’m almost thinking of using it for a pizza crust sometime. I don’t have cast iron so I lined a baking pan with parchment paper. It was so good. We had some cauliflower kicking around in the fridge so I made Loaded Cauliflower as our side. Also delicious. Thank you Maven!
This is my favorite Keto recipe so far! I was amazed at how well it turned out. My husband ate three servings. Thanks for introducing me to the sweet corn extract. Now I can eat chili the right way. :)
OMG – I LOVE THIS RECIPE IN SO MANY WAYS. SLOPPY JOE’S ARE A FAMILY FAVORITE, BUT A LITTLE HARD TO EAT WITHOUT THE ROLL IN MY OPINION. WHAT A GREAT IDEA PUTTING IT INTO CASSEROLE FORM!!