Ground Meats
$1.85per plate
Prep
5 min
Ground Meats · Ground Turkey
Turkey Sloppy Joes
Turkey sloppy joes are the same messy sandwich you grew up on, made with a pound of ground turkey instead of beef, and they feed five for about $1.45 a plate. Where our turkey burgers need a binder to hold a patty together, this one wants the opposite: the meat stays loose and the sauce does the work. That sauce is ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire and mustard simmered down in the pan, which costs pennies and tastes better than the can. The only turkey-specific trick is the oil, because there is no beef fat here to carry the sauce. Find it with the rest of our ground turkey recipes.
$1.45per plate
Estimated recipe total
$7.24 · serves 5
Cook
25 min
Total
30 min
Serves
5
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/turkey-sloppy-joes
Equipment
- Skillet
Variations
- Use ground beef instead; brown it and drain the fat before saucing, and skip the oil.
- No Worcestershire, use a splash of soy sauce plus a squeeze of lemon.
- Spoon the filling over a baked potato, rice, or shredded cabbage instead of a bun.
1 How to make it
1
Soften the onion and pepper
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Starting them first means they finish sweet rather than raw and crunchy in the sauce.
2
Brown the turkey
Push the vegetables aside, add the ground turkey and break it up with a spoon. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until no pink remains. Unlike beef, there will be almost no fat to pour off, which is exactly why the oil went in first.
3
Build the sauce in the pan
Stir in the ketchup and tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire and mustard, plus a splash of water if it looks tight. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom as you stir; that is where the flavour is.
4
Simmer it down
Reduce the heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon rather than run off it. The turkey must reach 165 degrees F. Taste and add a pinch of salt or another splash of vinegar-forward mustard if it is too sweet.
5
Toast and fill
Toast the buns cut-side down in a dry skillet for a minute. A toasted bun is the only thing standing between the sauce and a soggy sandwich. Spoon the filling on and serve straight away.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground beef or chicken. Ground beef is the original; brown it and drain the fat before saucing, and skip the oil. Ground chicken works exactly like the turkey.
- No Worcestershire. A splash of soy sauce plus a squeeze of lemon covers the same savoury-sour job. Do not leave it out entirely or the sauce tastes like sweetened ketchup.
- Serve it without the bun. Spoon it over a baked potato, rice, or a pile of shredded cabbage. The filling is the recipe; the bun is just the delivery.
3 Budget tips
- Ground turkey at $3.99 a pound against $5.99 for 80/20 beef is most of why this lands at $1.45 a plate rather than the $1.85 our beef sloppy joes cost.
- The sauce is entirely pantry staples. A can of sloppy joe sauce costs more than the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire and mustard combined, and this one you can actually taste as you go.
- Buns freeze well. Buy the eight-pack, freeze what you do not use, and toast them straight from frozen.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate the filling in an airtight container for up to 4 days, buns kept separate and untoasted. It thickens in the fridge; loosen it with a splash of water when you reheat.
Freezer
Freeze the cooled filling for up to 3 months in portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet. The sauce protects the lean meat, so it comes back better than most turkey leftovers.
Reheating
Reheat in a skillet over medium with a splash of water until it loosens and steams through, about 5 minutes. Toast the buns fresh every time.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
340
Protein
23g
Fat
10g
Carbs
38g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Are turkey sloppy joes as good as beef?
They are different rather than worse. Beef brings rendered fat and a heavier mouthfeel; turkey is cleaner-tasting and lets the sweet-tangy sauce come forward. Because the sauce carries the dish, this is one of the swaps where turkey holds up best.
How do you thicken sloppy joe filling?
Simmer it uncovered and let water leave the pan. Eight to ten minutes usually does it. Resist adding flour or cornstarch, which dulls the sauce; time and heat are what concentrate it.
Why is my turkey sloppy joe dry?
Almost always the pan, not the sauce. Turkey gives up no fat, so if you brown it in a dry non-stick skillet and then rush the simmer, the meat tightens before the sauce can coat it. Start with a tablespoon of oil and let it simmer properly.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
This one is also part of our American Comfort Classics collection.
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