Tex-Mex Turkey Sloppy Joe’s

We’ve pretty much gotten rid of beef from our diet. Except for the occasional steak (you can’t completely give up beef from your diet if your a Texan) beef is rarely made in my kitchen.

A good substitute for any ground beef dish is ground turkey. Season it up well and it’s pretty much and identical twin to ground beef. I’ve used it in meatballs,pasta dishes, for spaghetti, and burgers. Ground beef who?

In a slight spin of fate, I stumbled across this recipe by the Homesick Texan . Guys, this blog gives me life. I want to cook and eat everything on here.

I tweaked the recipe to my liking and of course, used turkey. I’m sure it tastes exactly the same as if it were with beef! I grabbed some bolillos from the grocery store and topped my sloppy joe’s off with some queso fresco, guacamole, and fresh jalapeno. You can top yours with whatever you want, but that combo was pretty much amazing.

Who created the first ever sloppy Joe? I want to kiss them. They’re so easy and a welcome reprieve from normal old burgers. I did, however, forget that the meal existed for a good ten years. I remember eating sloppy Joe’s as a kid, and then—nothing. They just fell by the wayside. I think a lot of people have forgotten about sloppy joe’s because they aren’t that healthy, especially if you make the sauce out of a packet or a can.

If you do the substitutes I have, and make your own sauce, you’re kind of in charge of your own sloppy Joe destiny. Sure, they’re not exactly healthy, especially if you’re eating them on a bun with cheese. But minor tweaks to your diet can go a long way. That’s why I can never stick to strict diets like Whole30 or paleo or keto. I just make minor tweaks here and there to lighten things up, instead of throwing whole foods out the window suddenly and thinking it won’t make me feel like crap. I don’t like feeling like crap, and I don’t know why anyone would do that to themselves.

So, sloppy Joe’s. Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe’s. A little bit of heat from the chipotles in adobo and cayenne, a lot a bit of flavor with the cumin, onion and pepper. This could be my new favorite sandwich dish. It can now be yours, too.

Tex-Mex Turkey Sloppy Joe's

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 25 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Spicy, flavorful sloppy Joe's made with ground turkey in place of beef and with a Tex-Mex flair.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 TBS. ketchup
• 12 oz. beer
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Bolillo rolls, for serving
• Queso fresco, avocado, fresh jalapenos, for topping

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey, salt and pepper and break up with a wooden spoon while cooking. Cook until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, pulse together the chipotle peppers, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, cayenne, cumin, oregano, dry mustard and cilantro. Pulse until a smooth sauce forms.
3. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper to turkey skillet. Cook until translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add sauce from blender, beer and ketchup to skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Spoon sloppy Joe mixture over split bolillo rolls and top with queso fresco, avocado, and fresh jalapenos.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey, salt and pepper and break up with a wooden spoon while cooking. Cook until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, pulse together the chipotle peppers, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, cayenne, cumin, oregano, dry mustard and cilantro. Pulse until a smooth sauce forms. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper to turkey skillet. Cook until translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add sauce from blender, beer and ketchup to skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Spoon sloppy Joe mixture over split bolillo rolls and top with queso fresco, avocado, and fresh jalapenos.