Easy Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe
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Turkey Sloppy Joes are a healthier homemade sloppy joe that’s made with everyday ingredients. It’s a quick and easy weeknight meal or perfect for entertaining.
Turkey Sloppy Joes are quick and delicious. Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean bland or tasteless.
Making Sloppy Joes with Turkey is a healthier option as long as you don’t add a lot of fat and sugar. We’ll show you an easy recipe with everyday ingredients that your family will love.
They’re easy enough to make ahead of time that guarantees dinner when you’re ready. It also makes this recipe perfect for entertaining.
Did you ever make sloppy joes with the sauce that came out of a can? I loved those things growing up and never got tired of them.
Another question for you. Have you ever looked up the ingredients of what’s in that can? High fructose syrup and corn syrup, and salt.
Now I’m not preaching to the healthy choir here but I thought that I could come up with something just as good without some of that other stuff.
Homemade is always best, right? It really took me a while to come up with what I thought was a good Turkey Sloppy Joes recipe.
Cooking with ground turkey sounds easy, but it can be bland and dry.
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What’s in Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Ground Turkey – I use white ground turkey. Ground turkey made with dark meat can equal or even be greater than the fat and calories of beef.
- Onions – I use yellow onions. You can also use white onions or a sweet onion such as Vidalia.
- Garlic – I love using garlic in recipes like this. It really bumps up the flavor.
- Green pepper – vegetables add flavor, and the right ones don’t compete with flavor.
- Tip: if your family aren’t vegetable eaters, you can puree them. They’ll never catch on!
- Jalapeno – This is totally optional, but we love the sweet heat combination.
- Seasonings – Turkey is bland! We used cumin, chili powder, and a bit of salt and pepper to dress up our turkey sloppy joes.
- Brown sugar – We use a small amount of dark brown sugar. You can use light or a sugar substitute.
- Worcestershire sauce – We believe that it gives the meat a rich flavor which makes it perfect in this recipe.
- Tomato sauce – We use the no-salt variety.
- Olive oil – Since turkey is so lean, it needs a little fat to brown it. You can substitute with any neutral cooking oil.
Can I Make This Sloppy Joe Recipe With Ground Beef?
Yes, you can! Since turkey is so lean it doesn’t need to be drained. So, if you use beef, brown your meat and then drain it. You can then add the ingredients for your homemade sloppy joe sauce.
You can also substitute the turkey for ground chicken.
You may like our Spicy Sloppy Joe Recipe too!
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How to make Sloppy Joes with Ground Turkey
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onions and green pepper for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey. Cook until the turkey is fully cooked.
- Turkey doesn’t brown as beef does. It tends to stay white or light gray. The homemade sloppy joe sauce will add color and flavor.
- Don’t overcook the turkey. It will become dry and crumbly.
- Add the garlic and jalapeno (if using). Cook for just a couple of minutes and then add the cumin and chili powder. Cook until aromatic or just another minute or two.
- Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the ingredients simmer together until heated through.
Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe
With a little prep work, you can make your Sloppy Joes with Turkey in the slow cooker.
We would still saute and brown the turkey as directed in steps 1-3 above, and then put everything in the crockpot together. Let it cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high 2 to 3 hours.
You can easily double or triple this recipe making it perfect for entertaining.
You can definitely make this recipe ahead of time or you can make plenty and freeze it for another meal. We put it in serving-size containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. If it needs more sauce, you can just add a little bit of water or make up a small batch of the homemade sloppy joe sauce.
Our favorite Turkey Sloppy Joe Sides
To make this sandwich extra amazing, how about whipping up some buttery Brioche Buns to put them on?
Eating well doesn’t mean that it doesn’t taste good, include weird ingredients, or take a lot of time.
We LOVE cooking with Turkey! You can find all of our turkey recipes here!
Some of our healthier dinner recipes
- Healthy Shrimp Fettuccine
- Baked Blackened Salmon
- Healthy Beef Stroganoff
- Ground Turkey & Spelt Skillet
- Turmeric Chicken
If your family likes beef sloppy joes, they’re probably not going to notice the difference when you make this easy Sloppy Joe with Turkey. We sure don’t miss the extra fat and calories.
We used our favorite braiser to make this recipe. I love the wide bottom so everything cooks quickly and evenly. We also use wooden utensils because they are strong enough to break up the meat but don’t scratch our pans.
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeno minced (optional)
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 oz no-salt-added tomato sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet. When hot, cook onions and green pepper over medium heat until softened. Add garlic, jalapeno and ground turkey. Continue cooking until turkey is no longer pink.
- Add cumin, and chili powder and cook until fragrant.
- Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until heated through.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! I’ve been searching the internet for a healthy sloppy joe recipe. Almost all of them just replace ground beef with ground turkey, but leave in ketchup and bbq sauce, both of which are laden with sugars and/or corn syrup. This recipe takes the high road and uses seasonings and spices to bring real flavor. So happy to have found a recipe that is low in sugar, saturated fat, and salt, but high in flavor. My husband and I both enjoyed this recipe very much.
Thank you, Pat, your comment made my day. We love this recipe and you’d never know that it’s missing all the sugar.
These were a hit this weekend and I felt great about serving a “healthier” sloppy joe! Is there a way to make them less sloppy as my boys are sloppy enough for the whole world LOL!
Thank you, Jennifer! We really like these too!
Made these tonight for dinner and they were fantastic!! Going in the regular rotation!
So glad you enjoyed it!
These turned out so flavorful and delicious, the whole family (even my picky teenager) loved them!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them.
Loved this – great easy dinner with big flavor. In the weekly rotation from here on out!
Thank you, Deb! It’s definitely quick nd easy.
Drool! I van imagine how good these must taste with all the flavor you’ve packed into them! YUM!!
Thank you Naina!
I had completely forgotten about sloppy Joe’s, my family used to love them and they were a regular on the menu. I use ground turkey as a substitute in many things. The jalapeño would add a wonderful punch but I would leave off the green peppers…maybe red ones would be ok.
Thank you Liz! We had a big gap in sloppy joe years after the kids were no longer here, but I make them quite a bit these days. I’m sure whatever spin you put on them will be delicious!
I love that your recipe uses ground turkey instead of beef . I know in my house we eat too much red meat and the homemade sauce sounds so much better than the canned. Thanks for sharing , hugs:)
Thank you Lily! I was just thinking of you and will send you an email. Hope you are having an amazing weekend!
What a delicious looking sandwich Julie! I never really knew what sloppy joes were, so I’m not balking at the sound of ground turkey. It sounds very appropriate to me actually! I usually think of ground turkey as being a bit dry, so the “sloppiness”, all that moist gravy-like sauce sounds like the perfect way to bring flavour and moisture to the turkey.
Thank you Laurie! I agree that turkey can be dry and tasteless so it’s not used well.
Perhaps it’s because my family stopped eating beef and pork SO long ago that I’m always surprised when people balk at the suggestion of using ground turkey in things like burgers, sloppy Joes, or meatballs. At any rate, it looks like you’ve done a great job with these – I love that you added jalapenos and green peppers! This looks like a great recipe for days when you’re in a bit of a time crunch.
Thank you! They are quick and easy to make and a great alternative to beef and pork. Enjoy your weekend!
I have always wanted to make sloppy joes , but I don’t eat meat! I like your recipe. I do eat turkey. Saving the recipe. Happy FF!
Thank you so much! I hope if you make it you’ll let me know how it comes out. I hope you have a great FF too!
It looks amazing – juicy and fresh and I’m sure it is full of flavor! Love the buns too. 🙂
Thank you Ana!
I can’t help it, I STILL love me a good Sloppy Joe. I love that these have turkey Julie. I feel much better about it; great job 🙂
Thank you Jess! I would love anything coming out of your kitchen!
Love it Julie, I like that you used ground turkey too, makes it that much healthier doesn’t it? 🙂 I was wondering if you’d be using your buns, (oops I didn’t mean it that way) LOL and I saw that you did, great job! Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never ever made sloppy joes? 🙂 But now I have a healthy recipe to go by 🙂
LOL! They are yummy! I love these sammies!
I cannot get David to think about ground turkey. He practically quivers at the sound of it. I have never tried because of him. Perhaps he didn’t have enough flavor… I may have to try this recipe just because they look so good!
Thank you Debbie! John was a mamby pamby too. This one changed his mind Debbie. It is so close in texture and flavor that it doesn’t feel like turkey.