Turkey Sloppy Joes are made with better-for-you ingredients, the best sauce, and loaded with hidden veggies. Adult-friendly and kid-approved Turkey Sloppy Joes make for a great healthy weeknight dinner that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.
Turkey Sloppy Joes: a great healthy meal
Sloppy Joes might have a reputation for not being the healthiest, but I’ve changed that with a new take on the classic. This version is full of vegetables and uses lean turkey meat, turning the sandwich into a tasty and nourishing meal.
The Turkey Sloppy Joes I’ve created are not only delicious with a homemade sauce that’s a snap to make but also ready in 30 minutes or less. It’s a quick, flavorful dinner that’ll leave you feeling good about what’s on your plate.
Quick Tip
Serve Turkey Sloppy Joes on toasted brioche buns. Here’s how to toast buns — on a grill, in a pan, or in the oven. I personally like adding a little butter to the buns and then popping them on a hot grill for 20 to 30 seconds.
Ingredients Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Grated Yellow Onion & Minced Garlic: These aromatics create the flavor base, adding sweetness and a pungent kick that is essential to any good Sloppy Joe.
- Carrot, Red Bell Pepper & Baby Bella Mushrooms: This trio of veggies boosts the dish’s health factor, adds a variety of textures, and contributes a mix of sweetness, color, and savory flavors.
- Olive Oil: It’s used to sauté the vegetables, helping to soften them and bring out their flavors.
- Lean Ground Turkey: Serving as the main protein, this lean meat absorbs all the surrounding flavors and provides a healthier twist to the traditional Sloppy Joe.
- Ketchup, Tomato Sauce, BBQ Sauce: These contribute to the sauce’s base, offering a balance of tang, sweetness, and a smoky depth.
- Worcestershire Sauce, Red Wine Vinegar, Light Brown Sugar, Yellow Mustard: Added for their distinctive tastes; they work together to give the sauce complexity with notes of savory, tang, sweetness, and a mild heat.
- Beef Bouillon Powder: Amplifies the meaty taste, enriching the flavor profile of the turkey.
- Hamburger Buns: They are the carriers for the savory filling, offering a soft texture that complements the robustness of the Sloppy Joe mix.
Quick Tip
Use a food processor: To get your veggies finely chopped without spending forever chopping, just add them to the processor bowl and pulse a few times. Don’t over pulse the veggies or liquefy them; just pulse enough times to get them into small pieces equivalent to a dice.
How To Make Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Start with Veggies: In a large skillet, sauté the grated onion, minced garlic, diced red pepper, and diced carrots until they’re tender and the moisture has evaporated (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add Mushrooms: Incorporate diced mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until they’re soft.
- Cook the Turkey: Brown the ground turkey in the same skillet.
- Create the Sauce: Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, or add them directly to the skillet once the turkey is browned.
- Combine and Simmer: Pour the sauce over the cooked turkey and vegetables, simmering until the sauce has thickened.
- Assemble: Spoon the thickened meat mixture onto buns to serve your Turkey Sloppy Joes. Enjoy!
Side Dishes To Serve Alongside
- Potato chips
- Bread and butter or dill pickles
- Elote (or plain grilled corn on the cob)
- Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Onion rings
- French fries (or sweet potato fries)
- Baked beans
- A good pasta salad like this Orzo Pasta Salad
- Potato salad
- Cucumber Salad
More EASY Ground Turkey Recipes
- Ground Turkey Tacos
- Miniature Turkey Meatloaf
- Loaded Taco Fries with ground turkey
- Ground Turkey Recipe skillet stir-fry
- Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
Turkey Sloppy Joes
Turkey Sloppy Joes are a made with nutritious ingredients, packed with hidden veggies and the best sauce. Kid-approved and ready in just 30 minutes, they’re perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup grated yellow onion 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 bell pepper
- 1 cup finely chopped baby bella mushrooms 6 ounces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese optional, depending on how cheesy you’d like it
- Brioche hamburger buns for serving
Instructions
- Peel onion and grate it on the large holes of a grater. Mince the garlic, finely chop (or grate on the large holes) a carrot, finely chop red pepper, and finely chop mushrooms. Alternatively, add a coarsely chopped carrot, coarsely chopped red pepper, and garlic to a food processor and pulse into diced pieces. Add mushrooms separately and pulse into diced pieces.
- Add olive oil to a large cast-iron pan and place over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper. Sauté 5–7 minutes or until liquid from the veggies has evaporated. Add mushrooms and sauté another 2–3 minutes or until all veggies are mostly tender. Press veggies to the edges of the pan and add turkey in the center. Crumble the meat into small pieces and cook until no longer pink (but not cooked through all the way), about 5–8 minutes. As you crumble it, incorporate the veggies into the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk this sauce in a different bowl or add it right into the pan. Add ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar (see note 1), yellow mustard, beef bouillon powder, and BBQ sauce. Stir well, then simmer meat until fully cooked and sauce has thickened, about 3–5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. If desired, add some freshly grated cheese on the meat and let stand (covered with a lid) 2–3 minutes or until melted. Spoon the mixture on top of toasted buns (see note 2) and enjoy immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Depending on the BBQ sauce and ketchup you use (some are sweeter than others) you may want more or less brown sugar; add to personal preference.
Note 2: I like to toast the buns; it adds flavor and keeps the buns from getting too soggy too quickly. Either grill the buns on a hot grill for 20–30 seconds, gently toast in a 350°F oven until warmed through and barely crispy (about 5 minutes), or cook in a pan for 2–3 minutes over medium-high heat.
Storage: Store leftover turkey Sloppy Joe meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave. Store buns separately to keep them from getting soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.5g | Protein: 24.4g | Fat: 14.8g | Cholesterol: 78.8mg | Sodium: 776.4mg | Fiber: 4.3g | Sugar: 19.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this on a regular basis with whatever vegetables we have on hand and it’s always good. It’s a great way to use up leftover produce and hide veggies for my kids, and you can stretch the filling by including riced cauliflower and more veggies than it calls for – it lasts several days for us.
I am so thrilled to hear this! The veggies are one of my favorite parts of these turkey sloppy joes! Thanks so much!
So delicious! Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes! It freezes great, just throw the cooled meat mixture in a ziplock bag, seal off any air, and freeze! 🙂
Can you taste the mushrooms or do they
“hide” well in the sauce. One of my boys hates mushrooms.
I think they hide really well in the sauce!
This is my new favorite sloppy joe recipe! I made a triple batch so I could freeze some for meal prep. I subbed a small can of tomato paste for the tomato sauce (because that’s what I had on hand) and just added a bit of water to thin. I also added a couple jalapeños that needed used up. Served over sweet potato is my favorite way to eat it!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Ana! 🙂
These are my “go-to” sloppy joes. So tasty and a great way to make a healthier version of an old favorite. I serve these on thin buns, and use the thin cheese slices to save a few more calories. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
I am so thrilled to hear this Tammy! Thank you so much! 🙂