Healthy Sloppy Joes
Lentils and carrots bring a sneaky twist to the classic American comfort food. These Healthy Sloppy Joes are so flavorful, you won't even notice the extra veggies!
How Do You Like Your Sloppy Joes?
How Do You Like Your Sloppy Joes?I don't know what it is about sloppy joes.
Maybe it's because, as a kid, you love any excuse to eat something messy, and, as an adult, you love anything that makes you feel like a kid.
Maybe, it's just because of the silly name.
Maybe, it's because they're so easy.
Whatever the reason, I don't think I've met a person who doesn't love soppy joes.
I'm a pile-er when it comes to sloppy joes.
I want a pile of meat thicker than the bun, with so much sauce you have to eat your sandwich upside down so it doesn't soak all the way through the smaller bottom bun.
(Tell me I'm not the only one who uses that trick!)
Yeah, you may as well just give me a bowl of sloppy joe meat and forget the bun all together.
Making Our Recipe For Healthy Sloppy Joes
In recent years, I've tried to show restraint when we have sloppy joes. I know all that sticky, sweet sauce really isn't the healthiest option.
But, these babies? I really don't feel bad at all getting out a bowl and a big ol' spoon.
Why?
Because we're making our own sauce and adding nutritious veggies!
Tim was a bit skeptical about throwing veggies into his beloved, meat lover's meal. But, after one bite, we both agreed that there is absolutely no reason to go back to making sloppy joes the old way.
The trick?
We found a balance.
Using Meat And Veggies in Sloppy Joes For A Complete Meal
There is still meat in these guys. We use 90% lean ground beef to get rid of some of the greasiness from the sauce. But, it still gives the good beefy flavor and texture that you crave.
To fill out the beef, we've added lentils, which are probably the best bean to use as a beef substitute. Lentils give extra vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. The added fiber makes these sloppy joes more filling than the traditional version.
Carrots give a slightly sweet flavor for the sauce, which means less sugar. And they're grated, so they blend in nicely.
Making Your Own Sloppy Joe Sauce
On top of all these hidden veggies, making your own sauce, from scratch, gives these sloppy joes an added, healthy edge.
Typical recipes for sloppy joes use ketchup and/or barbecue sauce, which can make the sauce high is sugars and salt. Instead, we're using tomato paste, vinegar, and spices to make our own barbecue style sloppy joe sauce.
An added benefit of making your sauce from scratch is that you get to choose how sweet and salty your sauce is.
If your family loves the sticky sweet stuff, you can start where there tastes are and slowly dial the sweetness back each time you make it.
Before they realize it, they'll start to prefer the less sweet versions!
Healthy Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 c cooked lentils
For the Sauce
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- ½ c white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 c water
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onion and grated carrot. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
- Add the lentils and sauce ingredients (except the water). Mix well.
- Add the water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We've updated our pictures since we first shared it, but we've left some originals here, in case you've found us in the past and are looking for that old, familiar image.
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
This seems like a great dish for diabetics. The low amount of added sugars and the use of lentils are good news. Lentils are very low on the Glycemic Index which means they don't spike blood sugar levels. Going to try this soon! Thanks so much!!
Good to know Pammie!
I've not had sloppy joes since I was a kid - your version looks fabulous, maybe it is time to revisit some childhood dishes!
Love sloppy joes even more when they are healthy!
The best comfort food makes you feel good all around when you eat it!
Looks good! I used to eat sloppy joes as a child ALL the time. I've never actually cooked with lentils before, going to have to try!
This would be a great introduction to lentils. Some people don't like them because they think they're bland, or they've only had bad lentil soup. But, there are so many wonderful things you can do with lentils. And, they are SO good for you!
Such a great idea to add lentils to the mix!
I have not had lentils in awhile- this looks like a great recipe to try out!
YUM! I have done a turkey sloppy joe, and a lentil sloppy joe, but never thought to combine the two! Brilliant!
Turkey sloppy joes sound really good!
I've never had sloppy joes before, but maybe I could make a vegetarian version using lentils. Thanks for sharing 🙂
You could always substitute the meat in this recipe for more lentils. If you've never had sloppy joes before, you won't miss the meat texture!
I spy a way to get my husband to eat lentils. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Lentils are so wonderful! But so many people are turned off to them. We're finding that you've got to sneak them into tasty dishes to change the way people think!