Can you believe the Sloppy Joe was born in the 1930s? More importantly, can you guess the name of the person that invented it? Steve… just kidding it was Joe. This dish is simple and essentially you could make it with ketchup and mustard. But we are not simple here, when I make something I want to pack as much flavor as I can with health being top of mind (nutrition breakdown is at the end). So, here is my rendition of the classic “Sloppy Steve”, again I kid, but the alliteration is appealing. Here is my “Sloppy Joe” folks.

• 1 lb Turkey
• Pickles
• Wheat Buns
• 1/2 Sweet Onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 Pack Spinach
• 1/4 Red, Yellow, and Green Bell Pepper (finely chopped)
• 2 tbs Tomato Paste
• 15oz Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 c Beef Broth
• 2 tbs Yellow Mustard
• 1 tbs Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbs Worcestershire
• 1 tbs Ketchup
• 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo (diced)
• Seasonings: 2 tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Smoked Paprika, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp Cumin, salt and pepper

As you clearly read, I made this with Turkey since it’s leaner. The beef broth adds some of the richness of the beef without the additional calories and fat. I will eventually test this with ground bison and I will let you know how it turns out, but I am sure it will be impeccable. The moral of the story is- you can use any protein your soul desires.

Start with the sauce: add the tomato sauce, beef broth, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, Ketchup, diced pepper, and the seasonings. Whisk well until combined.

Set your sauce aside. Sauté the onion and bell peppers until tender (about 8-10 minutes) and then add the spinach until it condenses to almost nothing. It’s an age old magic trick, see for yourself, Abracadabra:

Now set the veggies aside once they are tender and throw the turkey in the same pan. Brown the turkey and break it apart while it cooks. Once mostly cooked, add the veggies back to the party and also invite the tomato paste, mix well. Once that is mixed, add the sauce and cook until the mixture thickens. Keep in mind, the spinach has a lot of water and clumps together, so you will need to break that apart and also ensure the sauce reduces. If not reduced thoroughly, you risk not only a Sloppy Joe, but a Soggy Sloppy Joe. He isn’t as fun.

Now we create the sloppy masterpiece (quite the oxymoron). Toast your buns (the edible ones, but now that it’s cold make sure the ones attached to you are also toasty), spread a thin layer of mayo and mustard, and then evenly disperse your pickled friends across your bun of choice. Now perhaps the most complex step of all, slab some of the mix on the side with the pickles and mash the sandwich together.

The nutrition breakdown is appealing here. If you use 3/4 cup of regular ketchup and water, that packs 48g of sugar with the classic Heinz brand (which also contains high fructose corn syrup). On top of this, most recipes suggest 1tbs of Brown Sugar which packs 21g in itself. You can easily use a Keto Ketchup but I guarantee you will not get as much flavor, the salty appeal of the Worcestershire and the cutting of the vinegar adds character. So with all of that said, tomato sauce and 1tbs of ketchup has 27g of sugar, nearly cutting that in half. Thus, the carbs are also reduced since the sugar is reduced, unless of course it’s served with carbs (fries or tots are traditional, I opted for a slaw). And you may have noticed the vegetables, yet another sly way to add nutrition.

Now, I usually use wheat buns that have 2g of sugar, but Sprout’s did not have those, so I opted for the Dave’s brand which have 6g. The nutrition below reflects the Dave route. It would have been 6g total with the other buns.

The classic Joe: 500 calories (typically made with beef), 12g of sugar
My Joe: 300 calories, 10g of sugar