These Healthy Sloppy Joes are the perfect weeknight meal! Ready in 30 minutes, made with simple ingredients and much lower in sugar than traditional Sloppy Joes! 

You guys, I have another dinner recipe for you. Because you asked for them and I love sharing our favorite family dishes!

However, I need to be totally honest and tell you that taking pictures of meat scares me! Like seriously it’s SO difficult to make it look good. Or I think it is? I could just be scarred from my last pregnancy {with my sweet Mara} because during those 9 months I didn’t want to look at meat, smell it or eat it! LOL However I worked through my fears, and today I’m sharing our family’s recipe for Healthy Sloppy Joes!

Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy eating meat every now and then, but when I do I like it saucy and full of flavor {hence, these Healthy Sloppy Joes}! This recipe has much less sugar than traditional sloppy joe recipes, and it’s gluten & dairy-free!

One thing I have to note is that we like our Sloppy Joes to be thick. I am not interested in cleaning soupy red juice off out of all of my kids’ clothes! Also, I personally don’t like it when the meat makes the bun soggy! Anyway, it’s for those reasons that these Healthy Sloppy Joes are thicker {and dare I say tastier} than your average Joe! 😉 Serving them with bread and butter pickles is a must! 

How to make Healthy Sloppy Joes

Here are a few notes on making this recipe.

1. Brown the meat. I thoroughly brown my ground beef every time I use it in a recipe. I think it enhances both the flavor and the texture. If you use a super lean meat you may need to add a tablespoon of olive oil to get it to brown.
2. Thicken the sauce. Like I mentioned above, runny sloppy joes have no place in our house. So I like to remove the lid from the pan in the last 5 minutes of cooking so the sauce will thicken. If you like runnier sloppy joes then you do not have to do this!
3. Storage. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator! If you will be packing leftovers to take to work I recommend packing the bun and meat separately to avoid a soggy mess!

Healthy Sloppy Joes: Ingredients & Substitutions

This recipe is fairly versatile! Here are a few potential substitutions!

• Lean ground beef. I recommend 93% lean ground beef, however ground turkey or chicken can be used in it’s place if desired!
• Green Pepper. Any variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe! I like the addition of a veggie to these Healthy Sloppy Joes, but if you have picky eaters you might want to leave it out. Or substitute a veggie like shredded zucchini that disappears when it’s cooked!
• Onion powder. Real onion can be substituted for the onion powder! I recommend using about 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely diced onion depending on your tastes. Add it to the skillet when you add the meat!
• Garlic powder. Minced garlic can be used in place of garlic powder. Add it with the meat and/or onion!
• Brown Sugar. Coconut sugar can be used in place of brown sugar for a refined sugar free version! Honey is also a great choice!

A quick note on Ketchup.

 I implore you to check the ingredients on the ketchup that you buy! I recommend organic varieties like this. Because ketchup has sugar {why do you think it tastes so good} and I’m ok with that in moderation.

However I try to steer clear of corn syrup and most commercial ketchups are loaded with the stuff. This Heinz Organic Ketchup only has 7 ingredients and organic cane sugar is number 4, as opposed to other varieties that list “corn syrup” as the number 1 ingredient…YUCK!

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Healthy Sloppy Joes

These Healthy Sloppy Joes are the perfect weeknight meal! Ready in 30 minutes, made with simple ingredients and much lower in sugar than traditional sloppy joes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy sloppy joe recipe, healthy sloppy joes, sloppy joes from scratch

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 176.3 kcal

Author Laura

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
• 1 small green pepper finely diced
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 8 buns

Instructions

1. In a small bowl mix together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder garlic salt, mustard, and black pepper. Set aside.
2. Add ground beef to a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat until it begins to brown.
3. Add green pepper and cook until soft.
4. Drain liquids and stir in the mixture made in step 1. Mix until combined.
5. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and simmer for about 5 minutes more or until the mixture thickens (if you like thicker sloppy joes)!
7. Serve with your favorite garnishes on your favorite rolls!

Recipe Notes

*Nutrition information calculated for the Sloppy Joe mixture alone, using 93% lean ground beef, making 8 servings. It does not include the bun since there are many bun options and all have varying nutritional information. 

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Sloppy Joes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 176.3 Calories from Fat 48

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.3g 8%

Saturated Fat 2.3g 12%

Cholesterol 48.8mg 16%

Sodium 442.2mg 18%

Potassium 35.3mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 10.7g 4%

Dietary Fiber 0.2g 1%

Sugars 7.9g

Protein 18.2g 36%

Vitamin A 1%

Vitamin C 21.2%

Calcium 0.3%

Iron 8.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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