Name: Turkey Sloppy Joes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 pounds ground turkey (a mix of light and dark turkey); 1 medium onion, finely diced; ½ green bell pepper, finely diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 (12-oz.) bottle chili sauce (like Heinz brand); 1 teaspoon cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon yellow mustard; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 8 hamburger buns, regular or with sesame seeds, or brioche buns

Recipe Print

Homemade sloppy joes made with ground turkey and chili sauce. Quick and easy, a healthy dinner the whole family loves.

Hands up if you liked sloppy joes growing up? They weren't my favorite and back then my mom made them by adding a can of something to some browned ground beef. But once I had homemade sloppy joes, years later, from my mom actually, I had a new found liking of those sloppy sandwiches.

I have a couple sloppy joe recipes I like, both from my mom. Check out this sloppy joe recipe made with ground beef and breakfast sausage, very tasty. These turkey sloppy joes are adapted from a recipe given to me by my mom's friend. She makes them every summer for their girl's week at the lake. I just swapped out the ground beef for turkey and tweaked the seasonings a bit, but they're still MJ's sloppy joes!

What exactly are sloppy joes?

Sloppy joes are sandwiches made with a filling of ground beef (or, in this case, turkey!), onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings or some variation of this basic flavor profile. The ground meat mixture is piled on a hamburger bun, and yes, it's sloppy.

Legend has it that the sloppy joe originated in Sioux City, Iowa. Iowa is known for their "loose meat" sandwiches and apparently a cook named Joe added tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwiches and the sloppy joe was born. (If you're curious, check out this recipe for loose meat sandwiches from Dine and Dish.)

How to make sloppy joes with ground turkey

As easy as making them with ground beef, and you certainly can use beef if you want. I like this lighter, healthier version sometimes.

Brown the ground turkey really well in a large skillet. The best way to do this and ensure great flavor is to pat the meat dry, add it to the pan and don't touch it for several minutes. Flip it and brown the other side, then start breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Trust me, great color and flavor will happen this way.
Add some onion and green pepper, cook to soften a bit, then add some garlic.
For the tomato part, add a bottle of chili sauce, and then some Worcestershire, cider vinegar, mustard, chili powder, brown sugar and salt.
Cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste for salt and pepper.
Pile on hamburger buns and serve.

Can I freeze the sloppy joe mixture?

Definitely, it freezes really well. Just put any leftover, cooled sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container and freeze. It should be good for 3 to 4 months.

Leftovers will last in the fridge about 4 or 5 days. I like to reheat in the microwave instead of a pan on the stovetop. I put leftovers in a microwave safe bowl or plate and loosely cover with a paper towel. Because stuff like this always splatters in my microwave, the paper towel really helps. Just heat and stir in 30 second intervals until hot.

What goes with sloppy Joes?

Pickles, I like to top sloppy joes with homemade bread and butter pickle slices.
Or slip some pickled jalapeños on your sandwich, or candied jalapeños, also known as cowboy candy.
Marinated red onions would be good, these marinated onions from No Crumbs Left are amazing on everything!
Potato chips!!
I also like some fresh fruit alongside those chips.
Easy baked beans would be delicious with these sammies!
How about some potato salad?
And you can't go wrong with french fries or tater tots.

I hope you try these turkey sloppy joes next time you get the craving... they're mom approved. Enjoy ~ Kelly

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