Healthy Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes (Manwich Copycat)

Healthy Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes is the perfect way to relive your childhood with that tasty, sweet, tangy, extra sloppy Manwich sauce out of a can…..but a healthier twist on your typical sloppy joes.

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I grew up on delicious sloppy joes because its one of those fast and easy meals you can whip together in no time and the entire family will be scraping their plates.

Honestly it never even occurred to me to recreate a healthier version until a few years ago, my mother in law whipped us up some of her famous homemade sloppy joes and then I was intrigued. 

You mean to tell me all these years, I’ve been skipping out on sloppy joes because I didn’t even think that I could make a sauce that replaces that sweet stuff in a can?

Mic drop, you probably already have the pantry staples to create your own yummy homemade sloppy joe sauce. Dang…..get those tastebuds ready to take a trip down to memory lane. YUM!

I mean, nothing against the Manwich in a can, its tasty and delish.

BUT it has an insane amount of high fructose corn syrup and sugar…less than ideal, yikes. We are not going to feel guilty about sloppy joes anymore with this healthy recipe!! 

I’m here today to show you how to make the best, and I mean BEST SLOPPY JOES ever.

The kicker is we are making it with ground turkey which is a much leaner protein than your traditional ground beef and still has all the deliciousness.

Now, don’t get me wrong. By all means – go for the ground beef if your heart desires.

I am not stopping you, it is a plate licking recipe either way. It’s a family favorite in my house, especially for picky eaters. My kids give this a five star rating. 

Why you’ll love this recipe for healthy ground turkey sloppy joes (manwich copycat):

• Less than 30 minutes to make – a PERFECT weeknight dinner
• Macro friendly family meal
• Minimal effort and minimal dishes, perfect for a fast and easy weeknight dinner your whole family will love

Ingredients you’ll need to make healthy sloppy joes:

• Lean ground turkey or ground beef – we are using ground turkey today
• Garlic – fresh is the best, but minced garlic totally works too
• Tomato sauce
• Ketchup – sugar free or an all natural brand that’s low in sugar….staying away from that high fructose corn syrup, right?
• Mustard
• Brown sugar – see note below
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Black Pepper

Steps to make homemade sloppy joes:

Step 1:

In a large skillet, start browning your ground turkey on medium-high heat. Once the ground turkey is getting browned, add in the garlic. 

Step 2:

While the ground turkey is cooking, measure out all of your sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl to make the homemade sauce

Step 3: 

Once the ground turkey has finish cooking, drain any fat. 

Step 4: 

Dump the homemade sloppy joe sauce into the pan with the ground turkey and stir until well combined. 

Step 5:

Turn the heat down to simmer, and simmer the sauce in with the meat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. The longer you simmer, the more the flavors will meld in the turkey mixture, just be sure to stir occasionally to prevent any sticking to the pan. You can add a little bit of water if it starts becoming too dry. 

Step 6:

Serve the sloppy joe filling on hamburger buns or whole wheat buns and ENJOY!! So simply and easy. 

Notes on this Healthy ground turkey sloppy joes recipe:

Brown Sugar and Sugar Content:

What I love about this recipe is being able to control the amount of sugar and sweetness. You can use as much brown sugar or as little as you want!

Some prefer the savor taste, some prefer the sweeter taste, but either way, both are tasty. You can use light or dark brown sugar. 

Ways to level up your homemade sloppy joes:

Add in onions and bell peppers to give this traditional sloppy joe recipe a slight twist. It’s so easy to do, just dice up the onions and peppers before browning the ground beef.

You can do this in the same pan by adding a little bit of olive oil. Once the onions and peppers are cooked to your liking, you can continue on with recipe and add the ground turkey, etc. 

Bun and Side Options:

There are so many ways to eat your favorite sloppy joe. I love a good toasted bun, if it fits in your macros or your just feelin’ it…..GO FOR IT!!

Sometimes I will buy lower calorie bread (there are a ton of options) or a high protein wrap as a healthier option and throw the sloppy joe mixture on there. 

You can also try some of the following:

• ​Stuffed inside a baked potato with some good ol’ cheese melted
• Stuffed in peppers for a tasty stuffed pepper
• In a casserole dish 
• Eat as a nacho platter or dip your chips
• Over some tasty sweet potatoes 
• Over french fries
• Or my personal favorite, over some yummy mac n cheese

Can you make this in a slow cooker?

Yes!! There are a few ways you can do this in the slow cooker. Slow cookers are a fav of mine because of how low effort it is! Here is the one I use for all my slow cooker recipes.

Warming Method:

If you made this recipe and you need to keep it warm for a while, you can definitely keep this sloppy joe mixture warm in a slow cooker! 

Cooking Method:

Another way to make this in the slow cooker after the ground turkey is done browning in a skillet, add into the slow cooker with the sloppy joe sauce and mix well. Turn the slow cooker on low and simmer for about 4 hours. This is such a great alternative for that flavorful sauce in the easy sloppy joe recipe. YUM!! 

Please keep in mind that some crockpots tend to have a higher heat level which may cause the sauce to burn around the edges. Make sure to scrape all the sauce off the sides and stir the sauce a few times if your home while cooking if you can to prevent this. If you decide to go this route, I would highly recommend double or tripling this recipe so it fits your crockpot unless you make this recipe in a smaller crockpot. 

To store leftovers:

​You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When your ready to reheat, simply pop in the microwave. These are my fav, when your ready to chow just pop in the microwave!

Can you freeze homemade sloppy joes?

Yes!!! If you love sloppy joes, just make yourself a double or triple batch! Once they cool off completely, add to a freezer safe container or bags and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Once your ready to use, thaw overnight completely and reheat before eating. 

You can find this recipe and others by Yummymacrolife.com already preloaded on My Fitness Pal.

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