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A tangy, slightly sweet turkey sloppy joes recipe that uses canned tomato sauce rather than prepared ketchup! An easy 20 minute dinner that can be made from pantry ingredients, and an excellent way to hide a few extra veggies!
My family can’t get enough of these turkey sloppy joes. The flavor even improves overnight in the refrigerator. My toddler ate it cold! Using tomato sauce makes it lower in sugar and easier. Not only is your homemade sloppy joe sauce thick, so your sloppy joes aren’t dry, it has just the right amount of tang and just the right amount of sweet!
Bonus points for easy cleanup: it all comes together in one large skillet! I love to sneak vegetables into these, and other quick dinner favorites, like chicken with shallots and easy beef stroganoff. They can’t even tell that it’s healthier!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- An easy mom victory for vegetables. It is a really great way to hide some vegetables from unsuspecting children and husbands. My house is living proof!
- You probably already have all the ingredients. Packed with classic pantry ingredients, like canned tomato sauce, you don’t need to run to the grocery store for these sandwiches!
- Skips ketchup for a more savory, tangy taste. The flavor for these sloppy joes is layered from tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire, so you have extra depth. It’s also a healthier twist since it’s lower in sugar with leaner meat.
Professional Tips
- Don’t stir the turkey for a couple minutes. Searing your turkey undisturbed allows for some browning, which will build the flavor!
- Sweat the onions. When I say sweat them, I mean be gentle with your heat. A moderate heat will avoid browning, which sometimes turns them a little bitter.
- Add a little oil. Adding a little extra oil for sautéing is helpful since we’re using lean turkey, and especially helpful if you put in some additional veggies!
Ingredients
- Tomato Sauce
- Garlic
- Ground Turkey: I like to use extra-lean ground turkey meat, specifically 96%-99% lean for this recipe.
- Kosher Salt & Pepper
- Yellow Mustard
- Brown Sugar: You can use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. Can also use truvia brown sugar or another zero calorie brown sugar.
- Worcestershire Sauce: I may pronounce it wrong every time, but Worcestershire sauce rounds out the flavor of the sauce. It balances the sweetness of both the tomato sauce and the brown sugar. It also adds a nice depth and warmth.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Green Bell Pepper
- Onions: I use yellow onions, cut in half lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick. You can also make this recipe with sweet onions.
- Canola Oil
- Hamburger Buns
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Try adding minced vegetables! Experiment with up to 2 cups of additional minced vegetables like riced cauliflower, finely chopped broccoli, minced mushrooms, or a variety of finely minced peppers. You could serve the veggies as a side dish of course. Like a batch of zucchini fritters or sweet potato fries!
- Switch out the meat. You can absolutely use ground beef or ground chicken. If I’m using ground beef, I add a pinch of chili powder to turn up the heat!
- Transform them into sliders or a dip. I love making these as mini sliders. It’s also great as a dip served with Tostitos or Fritos scoops. You can also serve them open-faced on toasted bread with a slice of melty cheese like they do in diners with a pile of potato chips. I often will put leftover filling over a baked potato for a second meal!
How to Make Turkey Sloppy Joes
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Dice the green bell pepper and onion finely. I prefer a small dice to better incorporate with the meat and sauce.
Step 2: In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the pepper, onion and minced garlic. Gently sweat the onion until translucent. Keeping the heat moderate enough to avoid browning.
Step 3: Season the ground turkey with a generous pinch or two of kosher salt and pepper. Push the vegetables out to the outer edges of the pan, add a little more oil if using lean ground turkey, and add the meat to the pan. I allow it to cook undisturbed to get a little color in one piece.
It helps to have some space to sear your turkey.
Step 4: Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink.
Step 5: Add all the ingredients of the sauce directly to the pan (tomato sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard), stir well to coat and bring to a boil.
Step 6: Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and let simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes more.
This cook time will depend on how thick your meat mixture is in the pan.
Step 7: Scoop onto split hamburger buns and serve!
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
The yellow mustard is optional. If you don’t have it, omit it. You can use a little ground mustard powder instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes! You can freeze the cooked sloppy joe mixture. Let it cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. You’ll want to thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stove.
Choose your favorite burger buns! Whether that is a regular sesame seed bun, a whole wheat bun, a brioche bun, or a pretzel bun for you decadent people. Yes, gluten-free buns would be just as delicious!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced or 2 teaspoons
- 1 pound ground turkey 96-99% lean
- 15 ounce tomato sauce canned
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard optional
- 4 burger buns brioche buns or pretzel buns
Instructions
- Dice the green bell pepper and onion finely. I prefer a small dice to better incorporate with the meat and sauce.
- In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the pepper, onion and minced garlic. Gently sweat the onion until translucent. Keeping the heat moderate enough to avoid browning.
- Season the ground turkey with a generous pinch or two of kosher salt and pepper. Push the vegetables out to the outer edges of the pan, add a little more oil if using lean ground turkey, and add the meat to the pan. I allow it to cook undisturbed to get a little color in one piece.
- Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add all the ingredients of the sauce directly to the pan (tomato sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard), stir well to coat and bring to a boil.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and let simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes more.
- Scoop onto split hamburger buns and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed sandwich recipes!
