These healthy sloppy Joes are and easy and delicious weeknight meal ready in 30 minutes. They're made with simple ingredients, contain some sneaky veggies, and are much lower in sugar than traditional Sloppy Joes!
I love making healthier versions of classic recipes, like these healthy sloppy Joes!
This recipe has much less sugar than traditional sloppy joe recipes, contains veggies, and it's gluten & dairy-free.
Also, I wanted to solve the "soupy" sloppy Joes problem - and this recipe delivers. Because with six kids 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! Plus, a thick sloppy joe means no soggy buns (and homemade burger buns are the best to serve with this recipe)!
How to make Homemade 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 homemade 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 ½ 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.
A quick note on Ketchup.
You could replace the ketchup with tomato sauce and increase the sugar (or not if you like less sweet sloppy joes) but I use it for ease and taste. Just make sure to check the ingredients on the ketchup that you buy! I recommend organic varieties like this.
Yes, ketchup has sugar - but I try to steer clear of corn syrup and it's the first ingredient in most commercial ketchups. 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.
Recipe FAQs
You could replace the ketchup with tomato sauce and increase the sugar (or not if you like less sweet sloppy Joes) but I use it for ease and taste.
Yes, freeze the sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Yes, to feed a crowd you can double (or triple) this recipe easily.
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Healthy Sloppy Joes (Homemade in 30 minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 small green pepper finely diced
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBS brown sugar
- ½ 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!
Video
Notes
Ingredient 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 homemade 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 ½ 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.
A quick note on Ketchup.
You could replace the ketchup with tomato sauce and increase the sugar (or not if you like less sweet sloppy joes) but I use it for ease and taste. Make sure to check the ingredients on the ketchup that you buy! I recommend organic varieties like this. Yes, ketchup has sugar - but I try to steer clear of corn syrup and it's the first ingredient in most commercial ketchups. 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.To store
Store leftover meat 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 so it doesn't become soggy.Nutrition
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Jeni
Just made this for dinner! So delicious!! I subbed maple syrup for brown sugar and used unsweetened ketchup. 4 kids and 2 adults loved it! Thank you for the great recipe!
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.