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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
Shop Essentials to make this Sloppy Joe Recipe!
skillet // measuring cups // measuring spoons // spatula // silicone spatula
IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!
Healthy Sloppy Joes
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
- In a small bowl mix together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder garlic salt, mustard, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Add ground beef to a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat until it begins to brown.
- Add green pepper and cook until soft.
- Drain liquids and stir in the mixture made in step 1. Mix until combined.
- Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and simmer for about 5 minutes more or until the mixture thickens (if you like thicker sloppy joes)!
- Serve with your favorite garnishes on your favorite rolls!
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
Sheila
This is absolutely brilliant. I have some guests coming over tomorrow and I am thinking of serving this. Thank you for this wonderful idea. You just saved me from the stress brought my deciding what to serve.
Vesna Misoska
I don’t like sloppy joe’s to resemble pasta sauce either. This is a great recipe! I made a huge vat of this the other day. I didn’t have enough ketchup, so I added some barbecue sauce. So delicious! Thanks!
Cheryl
Made this for dinner tonight with a salad and oven baked steak fries. My husband and I both loved it. Thanks for a great tasting healthy sloppy joe recovery.