My Homemade Fancy Version – Fancy Joes. A healthy sloppy Joe recipe that is a slightly fancier, healthier version of the classic sloppy Joes. I even use a can of Manwich!
Have you ever been to a picnic or party and been served “Greazy Joes?” Ground beef sloppy Joes from a crock pot with a layer of grease on top? I have, and went years without having a sloppy Joe, or I’d discreetly spoon off the grease onto a napkin. I realized I like the savory-sweet sandwich, so I decided to make my own! A healthier version, of course! I described them to some coworkers, and they decided my sloppy Joes are Fancy Joes. So from now on, they are Fancy Joes!
Read more: Upgrade Your Sloppy Joes with a Healthier Sloppy Joe RecipeIt’s Amazon Prime Day tomorrow, June 23rd! You can support your favorite food bloggers by clicking their Amazon links. They earn a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you! I have just created my own Storefront! Visit NovelFoodie on Amazon. It’s a work in progress, and I have started a list of book recommendations.
Fancy Joes
For a healthy sloppy joe recipe, brown up some meat, remove it from the pan, and strain off any grease. I like a mixture of half beef and half turkey or chicken. Add a ton of veggies and use a can of ORIGINAL Manwich, or a seasoning packet with tomato paste and water.
I love sneaking veggies into recipes, and these fancy Joes are a great example! I’ve diced up carrots, zucchini, summer squash, hot peppers, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and even carrots and added them to the Joes. Basically, dice up whatever veggies you have. This is a perfect recipe to use up extra zucchini this season!
If you like “healthier/healthy-ish” versions of recipes, try more of my healthy-ish recipes.
Healthier Sloppy Joes aka “Fancy Joes”
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb Lean Ground Beef (Or ground chicken or turkey)
- ½ lb Ground Chicken or turkey
Dice whatever veggies you have. Start with onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper, or whatever veggies you like! I dice 4 cups of veggies plus 1 cup of diced mushrooms. *See notes
- 1 tbsp olive oil if needed
- 1 medium onion medium – large, diced.
- 1 bell pepper diced, large red, green, yellow, whatever! Or jalapeño!
- 4 oz mushrooms See note: Cleaned and diced, about 1 cup diced.
- 1 zucchini diced zucchini or summer squash
- 15 oz Manwich Original Manwich can (Can substitute with one 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1¼ C water, plus a packet of sloppy Joe seasoning mix.)
Instructions
- Dice up all the veggies. I usually use one bell pepper, one onion, one zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, and 1 lb of mushrooms. Approximately 4 cups of diced veggies and 1 cup of diced mushrooms.
- In a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, brown the ground meat, remove it from the pan, and set aside. *If using all chicken or turkey, you may need a drizzle of oil to brown the meat in.(Drain the meat of any excess fat. Wipe excess grease from the pan and add a drizzle of olive oil to sauté the veggies.
- Add the veggies that take the longest to sauté first. I start with onions and peppers (and carrots if using), then add the softer zucchini. Sauté until tender. *Add a tbsp of water if the pan is too hot.
- If you are adding diced mushrooms, move the veggies to one side of the pan. Add the mushrooms and 1 tbsp of water to the pan and press them into an even layer on the bottom. Allow them to cook until all the water is gone, and the mushrooms start to shrink and brown. This will take a few minutes.
- Add the strained meat back to the pan and stir in the Manwich.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have food allergies, medical conditions, or specific dietary concerns, consult a qualified healthcare professional before trying any recipe.
If you love copycat recipes, try my copycat Panera four cheese souffles!
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