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sloppy Joe sandwich with filling oozing out on a piece of parchment paper

Healthy Sloppy Joes with Vegetables

Hearty, tangy and healthy Sloppy Joes made with ground beef, sweet potatoes and carrots. The recipe is ready in 30 minutes if you bake the sweet potato ahead of time.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Sandwiches
Cuisine American
Servings 6 sandwiches
Calories 286 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 3 carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
  • 1 medium sweet potato baked with skin removed
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
  • 6 whole wheat hamburger buns
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake the sweet potato for 40 to 50 minutes until soft. Allow to cool, remove the skin and mash.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, carrots and onions, until the meat is browned the the vegetables are soft. If you're using turkey or chicken breast, you may need to add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan so the meat doesn't stick.
  • Add garlic, if using, and cook for 1 minute more, being careful not to burn it.
  • To make the sloppy Joe sauce, combine the mashed sweet potato, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot mustard in a bowl. Stir or whisk to combine.
  • Pour over the meat mixture in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and lower the burner temperature to low.
  • Simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
  • Serve on hamburger buns.

Notes

Time-Saving Tip

I like to bake my sweet potatoes ahead of time when making this recipe. Just throw an extra one in the oven when you're cooking dinner. You can keep the mashed sweet potato in the fridge for a day or two, or freeze the mash to use later in Sloppy Joes.

 

Substitutions & Variations

You can substitute a can of condensed tomato soup for the canned tomato sauce in this recipe.
The sweet potatoes add natural sweetness to the Sloppy Joes. If you want to sweeten things up more, add 1-2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to the mix.

 

Freezing Sloppy Joe Filling

Sloppy Joe filling freezes really well. Divide into single-serve portions. Or freeze a larger batch of leftovers in a freezer-safe zipper bag. I love using this gadget to hold my Ziploc bags when prepping freezer meals.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 22gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 358mgPotassium: 638mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 10484IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 4mg
Keyword beef, healthy, sandwiches
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