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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Lighter Classic Sloppy Joes

    May 2, 2019 • Updated: July 21, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Overhead shot of two sloppy joes on a small cutting board.

    These lighter, healthier Sloppy Joes have all the rich, savory, full-bodied flavor you're craving! (Super-easy recipe | no cans, no mixes)

    Overhead shot of prepared sloppy joes on a cutting board.
    Jump to:
    • What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
    • How We Made Sloppy Joes Healthier
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • Lighter Classic Sloppy Joes

    What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

    We had some amazing lunch ladies at my elementary school when I was growing up. They baked us fresh bread nearly every day, and served up what I have come to learn was some of the finest school food offered in the Portland Public School District at the time.

    Sloppy Joe Day was always a good day in our lunchroom! (Almost as good as Pizza Day!) I remember passing through the lunch line, watching as the Sloppy Joe lady plunked a big ice cream scoop full of thick, meaty sauce onto the bottom half of a freshly baked burger bun, where it sat like a little brown igloo until she smooshed it into a patty shape with the other half of the bun. 

    Once at your table, you would hold your Sloppy Joe in both hands, fingers on top, thumbs down. The trick was to keep it level as you bit down, in the hopes that at least some of the filling would stay inside the bun as you did. I nearly always finished mine with a fork though, as most of my Joe inevitably ended up plopping out on my lunch tray. 

    The thing that made those lunch-lady cafeteria Sloppy Joes so good was they were made from scratch, like in our classic Sloppy Joe recipe. No cans, no mixes.

    How We Made Sloppy Joes Healthier

    In order to bring classic Sloppy Joes into the new millennia with lighter, healthier ingredients, we had to make a couple of changes to the basic recipe.

    Mostly obviously, we substituted ground chicken for the traditional ground beef. (You can also use ground turkey.) Ground chicken, however, presents another problem, because it is essentially the tofu of live proteins; in that it is utterly tasteless all by itself. For a more positive spin, think of it as a blank canvas, just waiting for you to paint it up with your culinary magic. 

    To recreate the rich, savory, beefy flavor that is the calling card of any respectable Sloppy Joe, we enhanced the mix with a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a little cocoa powder. We also added a handful of grated carrots for depth and sweetness, a squirt of Sriracha for a touch of heat, and a carefully chosen blend of savory herbs and spices.

    Finally, because we prefer our Sloppy Joes to have some body, we added a little ground oatmeal. If you’ve never used the oatmeal trick to thicken a meat sauce before, it may sound weird; but it works like a charm. (You won't taste the oatmeal.)

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Sloppy Joe sauce ingredients, labeled: ground chicken, ketchup, onions, carrots, brown sugar, oatmeal, butter, celery, cocoa, spices, seasonings.

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    ★ Ground chicken: This recipe was tested using ground chicken and ground turkey. Of course, you can also go traditional and use lean ground beef.

    ★ Oats: Use chopped or coarsely ground old-fashioned or quick oats for this recipe.

    Do not use oat flour for this: it is too finely ground.

    ★ Ketchup: Any ketchup will work, but we always use Portland Ketchup for its rich depth of flavor.

    Substitutions: You can sub in chili sauce for the ketchup. If you use chili sauce instead, we recommend using Heinz brand for the best results. In this case, omit the Sriracha and the brown sugar. We suggest using a 50/50 mixture of chili sauce and ketchup at most.

    How to Make this Recipe

    Stovetop Sloppy Joes

    In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cocoa powder, salt, Sriracha, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, and paprika. Set aside.

    Collage showing sauce before and after stirring.

    Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high and add chopped onions and celery. Stir intermittently until the onions just begin to brown.

    Celery and onion being cooked in a large skillet.

    Add ½ cup water and ground meat to skillet with the onions and celery. Break meat apart and cook until no pink remains and water has evaporated.

    Add the grated carrots and the contents of small bowl to skillet mixture

    Grated carrots and sauce added ot cooked celery and onions in a large skillet.

    Stir to combine thoroughly. Reduce heat to Low, cover skillet, and simmer 5 - 10 minutes.

    If mix is too thick: Add up to a cup of water before simmering (Don't go crazy, though!)

    Meat sauce in a large skillet, with a spatula.

    After the mixture has simmered, thicken it by adding 2 -4 tablespoons of quick or old-fashioned oats.

    Run the oats through a food mill or pulse them in small blender first. (Be careful though - you don't want to turn it into oat flour - you just want to break the oats up a little.)

    Oatmeal being added to the meat sauce in a large skillet.

    Assemble Sloppy Joes immediately before serving.

    Sloppy joes assembled on a piece of parchment. Top bun to the side.

    Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

    Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high and add chopped onions and celery. Stir intermittently until the onions just begin to brown.

    Add ½ cup water and ground meat to skillet with the onions and celery. Break meat apart and cook until no pink remains and water has evaporated.

    Transfer to a slow cooker. Add all the remaining Sloppy Joe mix ingredients except the oatmeal. Cook in slow cooker on LOW for 1-2 hours.

    Sloppy joes ingredients in slow cooker, unstirred.

    Stir in chopped oatmeal and cook until thickened; about 5 minutes.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    Homemade Sloppy Joes are even better on homemade buns! We like to serve these on our softy, airy homemade burger buns. If you'd like to learn more about making your own burger buns - it's super easy!!! Check out Homemade Hamburger Buns for more.

    Sloppy Joes: Not Just for Buns! 

    Never underestimate the versatility of the humble Sloppy Joe. Sure, it's great on a bun, but it has so much potential for branching out. Here are just a few ideas: 

    • Sloppy Huevos Rancheros
    • Sloppy Breakfast Tacos
    • Sloppy Lasagna
    • Sloppy Pasta
    • Sloppy on a Shingle
    • Sloppy Rice
    • Sloppy Avocado 
    Can you make Sloppy Joes ahead of time?

    One of the best things about classic Sloppy Joes is that you can make the sauce for them well ahead of time (as in days ahead!) and simply heat it up when you’re ready to eat.

    You can also freeze the prepared sauce for up to three months.

    Who is the original Sloppy Joe?

    Three different institutions - two Florida Straits bars and a Midwest tavern - are variously credited with inventing the Sloppy Joe.

    The most widely accepted version is that Sloppy Joe’s originated in the Midwest in the 1930’s as the saucy loose meat creation of a Sioux City, Iowa cook named Joe. I’m not sure how true that story is, but I like it, so I’m going with it.

    Two prepared sloppy joes on a small cutting board.

    Related Recipes

    • Grammi’s Classic Chili Mac recipe
      Grammi's Classic Chili Mac
    • Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzadiki Sauce
      Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzadiki Sauce
    • Easy, Old School Tamale Pie
      Old-School Tamale Pie
    • Baked zucchini casserole with tomatoes in a crockery casserole dish, garnished with chiffonaded basil. Casserole lid leaning on the side.
      Cheesy Zucchini Casserole with Tomatoes

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    Overhead shot of prepared sloppy joes on a cutting board.
    5 from 1 vote

    Lighter Classic Sloppy Joes

    These lighter, healthier Sloppy Joes have all the rich, savory, full-bodied flavor you're craving! (Super-easy recipe | no cans, no mixes)
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: American, Comfort Food
    Diet: Low Lactose
    Prep Time:30 minutes minutes
    Total Time:30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 154kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Large, heavy skillet

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Sloppy Joes Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 3-4 stalks celery finely chopped
    • 1 - 1¼ pounds ground turkey or ground chicken
    • ½ cup cold water
    • ¾ cup ketchup [We use Portland Ketchup!)
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar see NOTES
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 2 medium carrots coarsely grated
    • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 1 cup water or as needed
    • ⅛ - ¼ cup old-fashioned or quick oats coarsely ground or chopped
    For Serving
    • Chopped green onions
    • Toasted burger buns
    • Cheese sliced or grated [Optional; see NOTES]

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cocoa powder, salt, Sriracha, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, and paprika.
      Set aside.
    • Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
      Increase heat to medium-high and add chopped onions and celery.
      Stir intermittently until the onions just begin to brown.
    • Add ½ cup water and ground meat to skillet with the onions and celery.
      Break meat apart and cook until no pink remains and water has evaporated.
    • Add grated carrots and contents of the small bowl to skillet mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.
    • Reduce heat to Low, cover skillet, and simmer 10-15 minutes.
      If mix is too thick: Add up to a cup of water before simmering (Don't go crazy, though!)
    • To thicken the mixture, add 2 - 4 tablespoons of quick or old-fashioned oats.
      This works best if you run them through a food mill or small blender first. Be careful though - you don't want to turn it into oat flour - you just want to break the oats up a little.
    • Assemble Sloppy Joes immediately before serving.

    Notes

    SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS: Do steps 1 - 4 as outlined, then dump everything into the slow cooker, and cook on low for 1-2 hours.
    INGREDIENT NOTES:
    • BROWN SUGAR: If you prefer your Joes a little less sweet, reduce or omit the brown sugar according to your tastes. Also, pay attention to the amount of sugar in your ketchup - if it is a very sweet variety, you will want to cut back on the brown sugar.
    • CHEESE: I usually use cheddar, or a blend of cheddar and jack. Just use whatever sounds good to you.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1941IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Thank you for visiting the Good Hearted Woman. Remember to bookmark this site, and come back soon!

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

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    1. Sheereen says

      May 08, 2019 at 10:49 am

      Amazing, love sloppy joes but needed a healthier way. Loved it!

      Reply
    2. Jasmine Hewitt says

      May 08, 2019 at 8:52 am

      i'm lazy with my sloppy joes, i need to try your recipe

      Reply
    3. Cindy says

      May 08, 2019 at 8:38 am

      These look really good and I love your culinary creativity!

      Reply
    4. Jacqueline Debono says

      May 07, 2019 at 11:29 am

      Your chicken sloppy Joes look mouth watering! Can't wait to try them! Pinning for later!

      Reply
    5. Natalie says

      May 07, 2019 at 9:55 am

      I love Sloppy Joe! Looks so delicious and perfect for BBQ party we're planning soon!

      Reply
    6. Neli Howard | Delicious Meets Healthy says

      May 07, 2019 at 9:54 am

      This is seriously making me hungry! Looks incredible! Love how easy to make this tasty and flavorful recipe, it’s just perfect!

      Reply
    7. Jill says

      May 07, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Sloppy Joe's is a childhood favorite of mine too. Glad to know how to make them from scratch - and a lighter version!

      Reply
    8. Beth Pierce says

      May 07, 2019 at 9:10 am

      What a great recipe for dinner! Sounds so flavorful and mouthwatering! Yum!

      Reply

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