I don’t know what it is about sloppy joe’s, but there’s something nostalgic about them. They’re probably not a meal that a lot of people think to make often, but I highly encourage you to add these turkey sloppy joe’s to your meal plan! They come together in about 20 minutes, and I would even say that they are reasonably healthy! This version is a bit lightened up with ground turkey instead of beef, and uses a lot of ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator.
The boys enjoyed these without their buns, and if you follow me on Instagram you know that Easton is a VERY messy eater. Naturally he was in desperate need of a bath after having this for dinner. I’m not sure why he feels it’s necessary to get food all over his face and hair, but that’s why he has a bath every night! I’m just happy that he enjoyed them without picking out the bell pepper since he’s currently on a vegetable strike.
Kids will be kids thought! I try not to make a big deal about food. I serve dinner, and the boys can choose to eat it or not. Maybe they won’t like everything on their plate, but I do want them to be exposed to a variety of foods. Generally they will at least eat something and on the nights they don’t love their dinners, I know they’ll eat a big breakfast.
As a bonus, these turkey sloppy joe’s come together so quickly, making them perfect for summer weeknights. The mixture also freezes well, so feel free to make a double batch. If you don’t want to enjoy them in the classic sense on a bun, you can serve the turkey mixture over rice, zucchini noodles, or even stuffed into a bell pepper and baked until tender. So many options for this flavorful filling.
And that’s it! Dinner is served.
- 2 tbsp. oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
- Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until tender.
- Add turkey and brown, breaking apart with a spatula as it cooks.
- Add tomato paste, salt, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, adn yellow mustard.
- Stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine and sauce to thicken.
- Serve hot! Enjoy.
[…] best as I can for grocery stores to be out of stock with items we usually use, making these lentil sloppy joes the perfect meal. They are vegan and made from pantry staples, making them the perfect meal for the […]