What makes this sloppy joe recipe healthier?
So why are these a lil better for you? Well first off, they’re a bit leaner thanks to lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, but they also are significantly lower in sugar thanks to a homemade sauce made with ketchup and BBQ sauce and no additional sugar added. Did you know Manwich sauce has high fructose corn syrup, sugar, AND xantham gum to give it that iconic sweetness? Well, we’re skipping all of that with a sauce that’s perfectly sweet and spicy (no gums allowed).
Ingredients in the best healthy sloppy joes
As I mentioned, we’re lightening these babies up with lean meat and a lick-the-bowl good sloppy joe sauce that’s much lighter in sugar (but not flavor). Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Olive oil: you’ll need a bit of olive oil to cook down the veggies and meat for the sauce.
- Produce: we’re sauteing a white onion, red bell pepper, and some garlic for the sauce.
- Ground turkey or chicken: I love using ground turkey or ground chicken for the perfect source of lean protein. 94% lean is best.
- For the sauce: that homemade sloppy joe sauce is made from ketchup, low sugar BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, yellow mustard, and salt & pepper. Feel free to add a little cayenne pepper if you like spice.
- For serving: do them up however you like! I like to serve these turkey sloppy joes on whole grain hamburger buns with a little shredded pepper jack cheese and jalapeño slices. Yes, you can always use gluten free hamburger buns if you’d like