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Turkey Sloppy Joes are a easy twist on traditional sloppy joes. You control the ingredients so you know exactly what you are eating. This makes a great weeknight meal that is easy to prepare and works great all week long as leftovers. You can freeze the sloppy joe meat too!
Today I am sharing a really easy recipe for Turkey Sloppy Joes that you can make in less than 20 minutes. This is perfect meal for a busy day and makes great leftovers for the family weeknight dinners. Pair this with a fresh vegetable like green beans or this Roasted Broccoli or with a Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts. I remember as a child my mom would make the best sloppy joe recipe from time to time.
They were a simple dinner she could put on the table after a long day at work. I wanted to take that old recipe she made and put a healthier twist on them using ground turkey. If you prefer ground beef in your sloppy joes check out this post on How to Make Sloppy Joes which uses ground beef.
Recipe Ingredients
- ground turkey
- onion and garlic
- spices: onion powder, cayenne pepper
- tomato sauce
- brown sugar
- barbecue sauce
- worcestershire sauce
Ways to Modify this Recipe
- Veggies: You can add other vegetables to these sloppy joes. I suggest adding them in with the garlic and onion and sautéing them together. I like bell peppers like green pepper, red peppers, red onion, celery or carrots.
- Tomato Paste: You can use tomato paste to thicken sauce. You might want to start with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and see if you want more.
- Sauce: You can modify the sauce by adding a variety of spices like crushed red pepper, a different style bbq sauce like a spicy one, add hot sauce or try adding less brown sugar.
How to Make Sloppy Joes
Step 1: Cook Meat: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic and cook until the beef is browned using the back of a wooden spoon to break it up about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the fat from the beef.
Step 2: Add Spices: In the same skillet mix the garlic powder, cayenne pepper {optional}, tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire in the skillet. Add the beef and mix well.
Step 3: Simmer: Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm sloppy joes on whole wheat buns with a side salad or coleslaw. I like to add shredded mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese to the sloppy joes and heat them in the oven so the cheese melts. Another great idea is to add pickles to your sandwich. You can store the sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container.
Storage Instructions
Store the leftover sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Other Ground Turkey Recipes
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Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper , {optional}
- 1 can tomato sauce , {or use ketchup}
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey, onion, and garlic and cook until the turkey is browned using the back of a wooden spoon to break it up, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Mix the garlic powder, cayenne pepper {optional}, tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire into the turkey mixture.
- Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 5 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm sloppy joes on whole wheat buns with a side salad or coleslaw. I like to add shredded mozzarella cheese to the sloppy joes and heat them in the oven so the cheese melts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such an easy recipe to make for dinner.
I love sloppy joes for easy dinners! These look great!
Super fast, easy and healthy?!? My kinda recipe, for sure! And even though my kiddos aren’t quite so little anymore, we still face significant evening time restrictions – only now it’s because of things like soccer practice or a cross-country meet! Hurray for simple, nourishing family meals! 😀 And hey – I didn’t know you had family in the Cleveland area! You were just a stone’s throw from the part of Ohio where both Gretchen and I live!
I bet as they get older it actually gets even harder with all of the activities and running around! I remember when we were kids we were constantly running places. And yes! Most of my family is in the Cleveland area (and suburbs) and Akron. We are there a lot during the year to visit!