If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, naturally allergy-friendly meal that kids and adults well love, then look no further! These Turkey Sloppy Joes are filled with good-for-you ingredients, and are easy to whip up on a weeknight.
Healthy Turkey Sloppy Joes with Homemade Wheat or Gluten-Free Buns
Even the homemade hamburger buns can be from scratch before dinner! Of course, you can look for dairy-free hamburger buns at the store. But once you’ve made my Speedy Homemade Wheat Hamburger Buns or Skinny Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns, you won’t buy another bag again.
This healthy sloppy joe recipe is adapted from one of my favorite old-school magazines, Prevention, but the dairy-free hamburger bun recipes are from my collection.
Special Diet Notes: Turkey Sloppy Joes
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free.
- 1½ teaspoon olive oil
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ¼ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery rib, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ pound lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
- ⅓ cup strained tomatoes (we used canned), chopped
- Dash nutmeg
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to tste
- 2 dairy-free wheat hamburger buns or skinny gluten-free buns
- Lettuce, for garnish (optional)
- Red onions, for garnish (optional)
- Preheat broiler.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to one side of pan. Raise the heat to medium. Add the meat to the side without the vegetables and saute until almost cooked through, about 7 minutes.
- Stir the meat and vegetables together. Add the vinegar and stir. Add the tomato paste and sugar, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes.
- Toast the buns. Divide meat between buns, garnish with lettuce and red onion, if desired.