Heart-Healthy Sloppy Joe's

Heart-Healthy Sloppy Joe's: A Delicious Twist on a Classic

Discover a delicious twist on the classic Sloppy Joe recipe.  Our heart-healthy version features ground turkey, black beans, and a flavorful blend of spices, offering a guilt-free indulgence that satisfies your cravings without compromising your health.  Try this nutritious and tasty Sloppy Joe recipe today!  

My husband loves Sloppy Joe's, but with us making healthier recipes, we had not made the recipe in some time.  I recently read where beans are helpful in bringing down blood pressure so I decided why not incorporate them into our Sloppy Joe's too?  

I am sure if you have followed along with our recipe creations, you are aware we love black beans around here so it was not a hardship to add them to our sloppy joe recipe.  I was just not aware of their ability to aid in lowering blood pressure (be sure to do your own research regarding this topic).  I simply Googled "Foods that help in lowering blood pressure" and away I went on a reading and researching journey trying to find out as much as I could.  You will see our recipes will begin to reflect these foods in the coming weeks.  

As you can see, I omitted the bread, and made it an even more healthy option by putting it over a wedge of lettuce.  Personally, I loved the lettuce wedge, but it was "too far out there" for hubby so he chose a whole wheat grain.  

At first, he wasn't sure he would like this dish since he had never had beans in his sloppy joe's, but I said give it a try, and see what you think.  I didn't comment during dinner, but once everything was put away I asked so was it as bad as you thought it would be?  He said nope, it was actually pretty good.  So, I now have the big OKAY to make this recipe again.  Teehee, doesn't it make you laugh?  It does me since he will pretty much try anything I make, it just likes to grumble a bit before he dives in.  Men... 😉

Sloppy Joe's Recipe 

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb ground turkey, browned
2. 1 can black beans, drain and rinse several times to remove as much salt as you can from the beans
3. 1/2 large red onion, diced
4. 2 t chili powder
5. 1/2 t garlic powder
6. 1/2 t onion powder
7. 8 oz can tomato sauce
8. 3 T ketchup
9. 1 t Worcestershire sauce
10. 2 t brown spicy mustard
11. 1 t light brown sugar 

Directions:

• Heat ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks.  If you're using lean ground beef, drain any excess fat before proceeding.
• Add diced red onion to the skillet and sauté until it becomes translucent 
• Sprinkle spices over the meat and onion mixture.  Stir well to evenly distribute the spices and coat the ingredients.
• Incorporate the drained and rinsed black beans into the skillet, stirring gently to combine. 
•  Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spicy brown mustard, and light brown sugar to skillet, stirring thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated.
• Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer for about - minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together and the sauce to thicken slightly.  
• Once the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, remove from heat and serve

Note:

If the sloppy joe's looks a bit dry, add one tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture and stir well.  

My mother and I were talking about how much things have changed over the years.  She had an aunt who was diabetic and would rinse all of her canned fruits to remove added sugars from the fruit before she consumed it.  Now, we can purchase no salt added, low sodium, gluten free, dairy free, etc... foods.

I never considered the added salt to our canned foods such as beans, and canned tomatoes until that conversation with dear mom.  It isn't until you or a loved one are faced with new needs do you begin to consider these things, or at least that has been my experience anyway.  

I have been gluten free for years due to food allergies, but no one in my family shares this allergy.  Let's face it, when it comes to allergies, I am just a hot mess, but after we talked about her Aunt Edith who I can recall from memory being one of the sweetest ladies I ever met... I began thinking about and reading the labels of our beans.  Yep, salt added, so I made sure to drain, and rinse those beans multiple times before I added them to our sloppy joe's.  

Can I just tell you how yummy it was to have the black beans a part of this recipe?  It was delicious.  In the past, our sloppy joe recipe would have ketchup and mustard in it, but ketchup does have a lot of added sugar, so after some reading, I decided to just take away some of that sugar by using a tomato sauce, and then adding the brown spicy mustard which I really like.  

I knew I had to have some ketchup in the recipe since I knew the question would be asked is there ketchup in this?  How about mustard?  I honestly answered yes to both, but it will be our little secret, there just wasn't as much of those two ingredients as he would have liked.  Sometimes we have to stretch the truth when we make dinner, right?  I know I can't be the only one!

 

Remember, eating well doesn't mean sacrificing flavor.  With a little creativity and the right ingredients, you can enjoy your favorite dishes guilt-free.  Bon Appetit!  

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice.  Please consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before making any significant changes to your diet.

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Ciao,

Cara