TurkeySloppyJoes 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.
Course Dinner, Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine American
Keyword turkey sloppy joes
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 4loaded sloppy joes (maybe could stretch to 6 if serving kids!)
PREPVEGGIES: Peel an onion and grate it on the large holes of a cheese grater. Mince the garlic, finely chop (or grate on the large holes) a carrot, finely chop the red pepper, and finely chop the mushrooms. ALTERNATIVELY, add a coarsely chopped carrot, coarsely chopped red pepper, and garlic to a food processor and pulse into diced pieces. Add the mushrooms separately and pulse into diced pieces.
COOKVEGGIES: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large cast iron skillet and place over medium high heat. Add in the onion, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until liquid from the veggies has evaporated. Add in the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until all veggies are mostly tender. Press veggies to the edges of the skillet and add 1 pound ground turkey in the center of the pan. 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 the meat, incorporate the veggies into the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
SAUCE: Whisk this sauce separately in a different bowl or just add it right into the skillet. Add the 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar (Note 1), 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder, and 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Stir well and then simmer the meat until fully cooked through and sauce has thickened, about another 3-5 minutes.
FINISH: Remove the skillet from the heat. If desired, add some freshly grated cheese on top of the meat and let it stand (covered with a lid) for 2-3 minutes or until melted. Spoon the mixture on top of toasted buns (Note 2) and enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
Note 1:Sweetener: 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:Buns: 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 degree F oven until buns are warmed through and barely crispy (about 5 minutes), or cook in a saute pan for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat.