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You can absolutely make delicious sloppy joes without ketchup! Using ground turkey, vegetables, and a veggie-loaded homemade sauce, this comfort meal can be on your table in 30 minutes!
Healthy Sloppy Joe Recipe
Yup, that’s right! It’s totally possible to capture the savory and sweet flavors of this beloved American classic without ketchup, added sugar, or preservatives.
This healthy Sloppy Joe is made with with lean ground turkey, lots of vegetables, and a flavorful sauce that’s so delicious, you’ll want to drizzle it over everything.
This is seriously the perfect weeknight dinner for the whole family and the leftovers taste even better! Whether enjoyed on a bun, over sweet potatoes, or in tacos, it’s incredibly versatile and satisfying.
Table of Contents
- Healthy Sloppy Joe Recipe
- Ingredients
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Tips for Success
- Ways to Enjoy this Healthy Sloppy Joes
- Homemade Sloppy Joes for Baby
- Is your baby 6 months old and up?
- How to serve to toddlers
- Is your toddler becoming picky?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Healthy Comfort Food Recipes
- Healthy Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
- Ground turkey – I recommend not going any leaner than 93% lean turkey for the best flavor and texture.
- Vegetables – I like to use green bell pepper and onion but feel free to use whatever you wish. Mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini are all great options!
- Dates – A great refined-sugar-free alternative to the traditional brown sugar and ketchup. They also help cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Pumpkin puree – Makes the sauce nice and creamy while boosting nutrition. You can use store-bought or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Tomato sauce – This is a great place to use your favorite jarred sauce, like marinara sauce. If sharing this meal with your baby, you can use no-salt-added tomato sauce or this homemade veggie pasta sauce!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the sloppy joe sauce – place all the ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until smooth.
Step 2: In a large skillet, Cook the turkey over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and cook for several minutes.
Step 3: Add sauce to the pan and combine.
Step 4: Cook until thickened.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to soak the dates in hot water for at least 15 minutes, until soft and just starting to fall apart. I suggest reserving the date-soaking water to use for thinning out the sauce, if necessary.
- Toast the hamburger buns! Spreading on some butter is always a good idea.
- Add the sloppy joe mixture to the bun right before serving. Otherwise the bread will get too soggy.
- I actually like to keep the vegetables a bit larger so my kids can see them and also for added texture. If you’d like to finely chop instead, I recommend using a food chopper like this one! It’s so handy for quick vegetable prep.
- Double or even triple the recipe! It freezes beautifully.
Ways to Enjoy this Healthy Sloppy Joes
Besides on a toasted bun, here are some other fun ways to enjoy this delicious meat mixture!
- Add to grilled sandwiches
- Serve with pasta. This is a great way to use up frozen cooked pasta for a super quick meal!
- Combine with oatmeal for a savory version
- Pour over roasted sweet potatoes or cooked spaghetti squash
- Sloppy Joe Pizza – spread over to store-bought or this easy homemade protein pizza dough, add cheese, and bake!
- Tacos – use as a filling for these mini tacos.
Homemade Sloppy Joes for Baby
Start by serving a very small portion to make it less overwhelming for your baby. You can always offer more, following your baby’s lead.
Is your baby 6 months old and up?
Learn all the secrets to starting solids safely while optimizing nutrition!
How to serve to toddlers
If your child has a difficult time biting into burgers (or sandwiches), cut into smaller, more manageable pieces.
And if your child is not a fan of foods touching, try serving it deconstructed. Makes for a great addition to toddler school lunch.
Is your toddler becoming picky?
Arm yourself with these strategies that will transform your mealtimes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can use ground chicken or lean ground beef.
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Leftovers taste even better! You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or in a skillet before serving.
Lentils will be a great, flavorful alternative to ground meat. Start by cooking a cup of lentils until they’re tender, not mushy. Then cook the vegetables, add the cooked lentils to the mix, and combine with the sauce.
More Healthy Comfort Food Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Healthy Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3-4 medjool dates, see note
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup no salt added tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
beef mixture:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, can add less or leave out
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook for 3 minutes or so until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the vegetables and cook until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, place all the sauce ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth.
- Add sauce to the pan. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes, until mixture gets thickened. If too thick, add reserved soaked date water to desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published in 2020.
Great recipe! As I was preparing the sauce, my husband was a little skeptical seeing everything added together, ha! I usually am not a fan of dates, but following the recipe as written- we were both surprised at how well it came together. Our toddler has a hard time with ground meat, so even though she usually sticks to the bun with just a little bit of sauce, it’s a winner in our house!
Haha I can imagine! These aren’t typical ingredients for sloppy joes but I’m so glad you gave it a chance and enjoyed it!!
Any ideas for a pumpkin puree substitute? Hard to find in Japan (unless I can use Kabocha? but the taste is a bit diff). Sweet potatoes maybe?
Slightly different but either one of those will work. I would try with kabocha first!
This was absolutely delicious, and easy! It’s so different from our typical sloppy joe recipe, but still amazing in flavor! And I actually like it better. My 13 month old wanted seconds – he cleaned his plate in no time. I served it to him with bite size pieces of lightly toasted Ezekiel bread. This recipe is definitely a keeper 🙂 Thanks Min!
Oh this makes my heart sing! I’m so glad! Thank you for sharing, Jenny :).
Hey Min,
We are vegetarians.What can be the replacement for groud beef?
Thanks!!
Try lentils!
Are we able to make the sauce ahead of time and keep in fridge to be used later in the week? Trying to meal prep and make it easier for my husband to throw together during the week!
Absolutely! I do it all the time. In fact, you can even double or triple the recipe and freeze extra for the future 😉
I made this today and my daughter loved it. Actually, we all did. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe.
Yay!! Thanks for letting me know!
My 6 mo old son devoured this last night! Thank you for this delicious baby friendly recipe. How long do you recommend freezing leftovers?
LOVE hearing this! You can freeze for up to 3 months 😉
This one is on constant rotation in our house! Baby loves it, husband loves it — it’s a win win. I love how, as with most of Min’s recipes, this one is customizable based on what I have on hand in my fridge.
Thank you so much for trying my recipes!