Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes — Four-Hundredth Post

Four hundredth post. Almost eight years of Recipe Spinoff. The first post went up on a Sunday afternoon in March 2016 when I was fourteen and a freshman at Sapulpa High. The four-hundredth goes up today, Sunday before Thanksgiving 2023, when I am twenty-two and the mother of a twenty-six-month-old and the small-business-operator of a catering-and-cookbook business that has surprised me with its forward-momentum. Brayden is one hundred and twelve weeks old.

The ground turkey sloppy joes are the small family-weeknight dish for the milestone-post — the everyday-food version of the milestone, rather than the elaborate-celebration food. Ground turkey browned with onion and bell pepper, finished with a small homemade sloppy-joe sauce (ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, salt, pepper), served on toasted hamburger buns.

The technique question on a ground-turkey sloppy-joe is the moisture and the flavor. Ground turkey is leaner and drier than ground beef. The fix is using a small amount of olive oil at the start of the brown, plus the slight increase in the sauce-volume to compensate for the leaner meat. The flavor is otherwise indistinguishable from the ground-beef original.

Sunday I made it. Dustin had two sandwiches. Brayden had a small portion of plain cooked ground turkey on a small piece of bun. The dish was the small weeknight-comfort-anchor that the milestone-post deserved.

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives at two PM. She stays for two hours. She holds Brayden (and later helps with both kids). She drinks the small cup of coffee I keep ready. We talk through the small week’s family-news. The small visits are the small social-thread that connects the Tulsa-apartment-life to the small Sapulpa-extended-family.

Brayden’s small developmental milestones have been arriving on the small typical-schedule. The pediatrician has been pleased at the small monthly check-ins. The small baby-and-now-toddler life continues to be the small foreground of the small family-of-three rhythm.

Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (93% lean)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 hamburger buns, toasted

Instructions

1. Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and green bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
2. Brown the turkey. Add the ground turkey to the skillet, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, until no pink remains and the meat is cooked through. Drain any excess liquid if needed.
3. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.
4. Simmer. Add the water and stir to loosen the mixture. Let the sloppy joe filling simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and clings to the turkey.
5. Taste and adjust. Taste the filling and adjust salt, pepper, or brown sugar to your preference. The sauce should be savory with a mild sweetness and a little tang.
6. Serve. Spoon the filling generously onto toasted hamburger buns and serve immediately. Pairs well with coleslaw, pickles, or a simple green salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 370 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg