Ready in 30 minutes or less, this turkey sloppy joes is the an easy family friendly dinner that is perfect for a busy weeknight. Simple but delicious, these sloppy joes are made with lean ground turkey and cooked in a flavor packed sauce that consists of kitchen staples. It also meal preps like a dream and can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Turkey sloppy joes is an easy recipe that both kids and adults will love. Growing up, sloppy joes was one of the few recipes that I was willing to eat for dinner and my mom would make it on repeat. As a picky child, this is definitely kid approved.
- Most of the ingredients are kitchen staples. You likely have all the ingredients already so you can save yourself a trip to the grocery store. However, don’t let the simple ingredients fool you, the ground turkey sloppy joes are so flavorful.
- This ground turkey recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight or as an easy meal prep on Sunday. It takes less than 30 minutes to whip up and it reheats wonderfully.
Ingredients You’ll Need
oil — I like to use olive oil but you can use any neutral oil of your choice.
onions — I use a small yellow onion. Feel free to add more or less. Make sure to dice the onions into small pieces to ensure it blends together with the ground turkey.
salt & pepper — I use kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
garlic — I always have minced garlic in my freezer as part of my yearly prep. I highly recommend it, so you don’t have to mince garlic for every recipe!
ground turkey — you can use lean ground turkey, ground turkey breast, 85% lean turkey, etc. It’s up to you!
tomato paste — using tomato paste will add a rich tomato flavor to the ground turkey.
ketchup — ketchup creates a tangy and sweet base to the sauce that the sloppy joes is cooked in.
chicken broth — I use low sodium chicken broth. You can also use turkey broth or vegetable broth.
brown sugar — I like using dark brown sugar but you can also use regular or light brown sugar. It adds a sweetness with notes of caramel.
chili powder — chili powder is made up of a blend of spices that include cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika so you get an aromatic and savory flavor.
Worcestershire sauce — this adds a complex umami flavor that is also sweet, salty, sour, tangy, and savory.
How to Make Turkey Sloppy Joes
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and minced garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the ground turkey and cook for 4 minutes, making sure to break up the pieces with your spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the tomato paste and mix until mostly combined.
- Add the ketchup, chicken broth, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
- Stir until everything is combined and lower the heat from medium to medium low. Let the turkey meat simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce has cooked down to your desired sauciness.
- Remove from heat and serve over toasted brioche buns, baked potatoes, garlic bread, or whatever your heart desires.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- To keep things simple, I like to eat my turkey sloppy joes with some slaw and chips.
- To toast my buns in a pan, I add some oil or butter to a hot pan, then add the burger buns (cut side down) to the pan for a minute or two. Sometimes I like to make these cheddar cheese buns to serve with my sloppy joes.
- If I’m making these ahead of time, I don’t cook the sauce all the way to my desired thickness. I let it stay a little more runny than I prefer and when I reheat the sloppy joes, the sauce will thicken perfectly.
- Add some extra veggies to these sloppy joes made with turkey! You can add some diced mushrooms, diced bell peppers, or diced carrots to the skillet before cooking the onions.
- A large skillet is ideal so you don’t crowd the ingredients as it’ll take longer to cook.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the turkey sloppy joes in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: you can totally double or triple this recipe and freeze the extra servings for another day. Allow the ground turkey sloppy joes to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. Store for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: you can reheat leftovers in the skillet or microwave. If frozen, make sure to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating until warmed.
Turkey Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or more
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and minced garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the ground turkey and cook for 4 minutes, making sure to break up the pieces with your spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the tomato paste and mix until mostly combined and then add the ketchup, chicken broth, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Add more salt here if desired.
- Stir until everything is combined and lower the heat from medium to medium low. Let the turkey meat simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce has cooked down to your desired sauciness.
- Remove from heat and serve over toasted brioche buns, baked potatoes, garlic bread, or whatever your heart desires.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Easy Weeknight Dinners to Try
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