Turkey Sloppy Joes

Made with ground turkey and filled with extra veggies, these Turkey Sloppy Joes are a healthier alternative to your typical sloppy joes. You won’t miss the extra calories with this flavor-packed, easy dinner.

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While I love a classic Sloppy Joe, I do love to change things up with this ground turkey sloppy joe! If you’re looking for more ground turkey recipes, also try this Ground Turkey Chili, Slow Cooker Turkey Meatloaf, or this Turkey Goulash Recipe.

I love a good sloppy joe. Maybe that’s why I have several versions here on the blog. But they are easy. They are family friendly. And they are fast.

Today, I’ve got a great sloppy joe recipe for when you are trying to eat a little healthier. These don’t taste like diet food at all – because they aren’t! – but they are packed with flavor, some extra veggies, and are a little healthier than your normal sloppy joe. And if you are wanting to make this one step healthier, try serving the turkey sloppy joe mixture over a baked sweet potato. It’s heaven!

Ingredients

Ground Turkey: You can use any ground turkey – I usually stick to a 93% lean turkey. If you go leaner, you may need to add a bit of oil or a spray of nonstick cooking spray to prevent the turkey from sticking to your pan.

Seasoned Salt & Pepper: These are the only seasonings I use. Feel free to add any other seasonings that you like, though.

Carrot: The carrot is added for extra nutrition, and I like the extra texture that it adds, as well. If you are worried about the kids liking the carrots, you can grate the carrot so that it mixes into the filling a little better.

Onion: The onion is for flavor. You can dice this really small if you want to avoid the chunks, as well.

Garlic: I use 2 cloves of garlic, but you can add more or less as desired.

Brown Sugar: Sloppy joes have a bit of sweetness in the background. I used light brown sugar, but dark brown will work.

Red Wine Vinegar: I love the pop of acidity and flavor that this brings. Apple cider vinegar would work if you don’t have red wine vinegar.

Worcestershire Sauce: This adds a bit of depth and umami flavor.

Tomato Paste: I like to buy tomato paste in the tube for recipes like this that don’t call for a whole can.

Tomato Sauce: This is the base of your sauce. I will usually get a no-salt added sauce, but any should work.

Buns: To make this healthier, use whole wheat buns.

How to Make Turkey Sloppy Joes

1: Start by adding your ground turkey to a hot skillet. I like to use a cast iron skillet. Season with the seasoned salt and pepper and start to brown the meat.
2: Add the onion and carrot and continue to cook until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are starting to soften.

3: Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4: Reduce the heat. Add the brown sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

5: Add the tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste for about a minute. I like to try to stir it in as much as possible and cook out the raw flavor. It will be hard to stir into the turkey because it is so thick, but it will get easier as it warms up in the skillet.
6: Add the tomato sauce.

7: Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
8: All done and ready to be served on your hamburger buns!

Tips and Tricks

You can make this in the slow cooker if you have a busy day. Just brown the meat, then put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

This freezes really well. I like to put the cooked, cooled filling in freezer safe ziplock bags and then freeze it flat. Once frozen, you can stack them, which saves room in the freezer.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

More Sloppy Joe Recipes

Smoky Tex-Mex Sloppy Joes
Buffalo Sloppy Joes
Chicken Sloppy Joes
Enchilada Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joe Pasta

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