Turn my classic sloppy joes into juicy delicious meatballs! Simmered in my tangy homemade sauce, these sloppy joe meatballs are perfect for serving in a bowl or on a sandwich for dinner, or even with toothpicks as a game day appetizer. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe in your own kitchen .

A Few Featured Ingredients

• Ground beef: I prefer using ground beef for my sloppy joes, but this recipe will also work with ground chicken, turkey or pork. Chicken and turkey are leaner than ground beef, and tend to need a little extra oil in the meatball mixture. Pork tends to be a bit fattier, so you may need to add additional breadcrumbs.
• Italian bread crumbs: this is what gets the meatballs nice and crispy on the outside while also adding savory flavor from the Italian seasoning.
• Parmesan cheese: you’ll put the parmesan cheese right in the meatball mixture. It not only adds rich and salty flavor, it also helps the meatballs retain their moisture (aka meatballs that are juicy and never dry!).
• Tomato sauce: the base of my homemade sloppy joe sauce! Don’t substitute this, please and thank you .
• Light brown sugar: all sloppy joes need a little sweetness, and the brown sugar does just that!

Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below. 

Time to Get Cooking

This recipe is really quite simple, and can be broken down into a few simple steps:

1. Prepare the meatballs
2. Prepare the sauce
3. Cook the meatballs
4. Add the sauce and simmer
5. Serve and enjoy!

Find the full instructions in the recipe card below. 

My Favorite Ways to Serve

I love serving these sloppy joe meatballs in a bowl! If you’re new around here, the gals and I at Fit Foodie Finds love a good bowl recipe, and honestly, nothing is more perfect for it than meatballs. My go-to for this recipe is pairing the sloppy joe meatballs with a simple slaw, diced sweet potatoes and topped with a burger sauce. Yum!

This recipe would also be delicious on a bun ala meatball sammies .

Let your sloppy joe meatballs and sauce cool completely. Then, transfer into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

How to Freeze Cooked Sloppy Joe Meatballs

1. Brown meatballs: Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet making sure the pan is thoroughly greased. Brown meatballs on all sides for 8-10 minutes total. Use a pair of tongs to turn each meatball every few minutes, being careful not to burn the outsides. Cook meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
2. Make sloppy joe sauce: Make the sloppy joe sauce and add it to the meatballs.
3. Cool meatballs and sauce: Let the meatballs cool completely.
4. Freeze: Once cooled, transfer them into a gallon-size freezer-safe bag with the sloppy joe sauce. Remove as much air as possible and then seal. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

More Stove Top Skillet Recipes

Buffalo Chicken Corn Dip — the ultimate appetizer for game days, holiday parties, and nights with friends. It’s creamy, cheesy, spicy, and so addictive. The secret? Sweet corn. Fresh or frozen corn adds an extra layer of flavor that makes this dip even more delicious than the classic. The corn gets mixed with cream cheese, shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, green onions, cilantro, and a touch of ranch (try my Greek yogurt ranch!). Then it’s topped with melty cheese and baked until golden and bubbly. Serve with hard pretzel twists for scooping (my secret, you have to try it!). Promise you’ve got a guaranteed crowd favorite!

This is one of those easy-as-can-be recipes you’ll find yourself making again and again, especially through fall and winter. Honestly, I can’t believe I’ve never shared a buffalo chicken dip before. Over the years I’ve shared pizzas, tacos, sliders, and every kind of game-day food, but somehow not the dip of all dips. Until now.

It’s quick, no-fuss, and takes just minutes to mix up before baking. Truly the perfect appetizer. It even reminds me a little of my family’s go-to appetizer growing up, a simple three-ingredient blue cheese biscuit bake. Both cheesy, both nostalgic, and both require very little effort.

I used the last of my summer corn for this batch, and it turned out beyond delicious. A new favorite that I know you’ll love too!

These are the details

Ingredients

• cream cheese – we think this makes the dip, so don’t skip it
• cooked, shredded chicken
• yellow corn – fresh or frozen
• buffalo sauce – I mix up my own
• fresh cilantro
• green onions
• ranch dressing
• crumbled blue cheese – totally optional if you hate it, but we love it
• melty cheddar cheese
• melty pepper jack or colby jack cheese
• salted hard pretzel twists – for dipping and scooping!

Special Tools

Just a bowl to mix ingredients, and a skillet to bake this up in! Nothing new here!

Steps

Step 1: Mix the buffalo chicken

For the chicken, I like to use cooked chicken breasts or a shredded rotisserie chicken from the store (just like my Nonnie would).

Mix the shredded chicken with cream cheese, sweet yellow corn, buffalo sauce, cilantro, green onions, ranch dressing, and crumbled blue cheese (if you like it). Stir everything together until creamy and well combined.

Step 2: Bake the dip

Spoon the mixture into a baking dish and spread it out evenly. Top with a generous layer of shredded cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot and bubbly.

Step 3: Serve it up

As soon as the dip comes out of the oven, top with fresh cilantro (or parsley) and green onions. I like to finish with a drizzle of extra buffalo sauce and a pinch of flaky sea salt too.

And for serving: the secret is not crackers or bread, but salted hard pretzel twists. I use thin sourdough twists, and they really make the dip extra special. It reminds me of when I was younger and dipping pretzels into a block of cream cheese. Only this version is spicier, creamier, and so much yummier. And don’t forget that sweet corn, it’s perfect with the spicy buffalo flavor!

Looking for more game day recipes? Here are a few to try:

Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels

Fried Buffalo Goat Cheese Balls

Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Cilantro Lime Ranch

Chipotle Chicken Nachos with Jalapeño Yogurt

Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders

Hot Bacon Corn Dip

Lastly, if you make this Buffalo Chicken Corn Dip, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!