Whatever pushed me down the crock pot sloppy joe recipe path, I am forever grateful. In keeping with life’s reliable sense of humor, a recipe I feared would turn out to be ho-hum at best—or a re-creation of childhood dinners I tried to hide in my napkin at worst—turned out to be the biggest dinner hit at our house in weeks. In place of the soggy ketchup and bland ground beef affair that I suspect turned me off to sloppy joes in the first place, this healthier crock pot sloppy joe recipe uses:
lean ground turkeyhomemade tomato sauce sweetened with a touch of honey instead of sugarchickpeas
I never thought “vibrant,” “healthy,” or especially “delicious” would be terms I’d ever use to describe a sloppy joe, but these simple sammies are all of the above!
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes with a Hefty Dose of Healthy
I knew I wanted to enliven the turkey sloppy joes’ flavor with bright ingredients and textures, and my inspiration turned Greek. Like my Greek Stuffed Peppers, classic Mediterranean spices such as nutmeg and oregano, as well as crisp veggies such as red bell pepper and red onion, lend themselves beautifully to the tomato-based sloppy joe filling. The addition of chickpeas keeps with the Greek theme and makes the filling more interesting and hearty. Because chickpeas are inexpensive, adding them to the mix gives you extra sandwich bang for your buck, too. Combine the freshness and flavor of turkey sloppy joes with the ease of the slow cooker, and you have a healthy weeknight dinner that’s worth returning to again and again. I finished my Greek crock pot sloppy joes with a sprinkle of fresh feta and sliced cucumbers, while Ben preferred sliced avocado. His version wasn’t especially Greek, but considering he shares similar sloppy joe childhood baggage and loved this recipe anyway, I wasn’t about to stop him.
Alternate Names for Healthy Sloppy Joes
After eating crock pot sloppy joes for three meals in a row, we both decided that the name “sloppy joe” wasn’t an enthusiastic enough description for how good they truly taste. Acceptable alternate names:
Greek Ground Turkey Chickpea SandwichesFreeform Greek Turkey BurgersUltra Tasty Greek Hot Mess with Feta and Other Mediterranean Goodness
More Lightened-Up Childhood Favorites
Apple Grilled Cheese with Turkey, Cheddar, and Apple ButterCampfire Recipe: Cheesy Ham and Pineapple SandwichBLT
Whatever name you give these crock pot sloppy joes, I hope they are as much of a success at your table as they were at ours. Also, if you have any other childhood dishes you think need a makeover, feel free to share them! Ben told me he’d stage a protest if I attempted a healthy meatloaf makeover, but I’m loving the look of Becca’s Low Carb Slow Cooker Meatloaf recipe.
