Tomato soup, pinto beans and diced veggies add a nutrition boost to a family favorite meal: Sloppy Joes. by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
UPDATE 3/28/16 – If you like this recipe, you have to check out my Sloppy Joe Tacos!
How could I forget about Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy Joes were definitely a staple family meal when I was a kid and I always remember they were a given during our week at the lake with all of my cousins. Each family would take a turn to cook and Sloppy Joes were my favorite dinner night.
Fast forward decades later and I can’t remember the last time I ate them, let alone MADE them. Enter Secret Recipe Club for inspiration.
This month, I was assigned Heather from It’s Yummy To My Tummy. She came up with her blog name from the phrase her daughter would say about her cooking. And as soon as Heather’s Tomato soup version of Sloppy Joes caught my eye, I knew I was going to make it.
Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Tomato Soup is my go-to, store-bought soup, especially during these colder months when I stock it in my pantry. I also swapped in extra lean ground turkey for the beef (just a taste preference) and freshly chopped onion, red pepper and celery instead of the frozen version (just because I had them on hand – otherwise, frozen veggies are a great staple for your freezer <— Dietitian’s Endorsement.)
And the dietitian in me threw in a can of pinto beans, too (another RD tip: rinse canned beans well to get rid of up to 40% of the sodium.) I got the inspiration from fellow dietitian, Ellie Krieger, and her Sloppy Joe recipe. I mashed up half of the beans and mixed them in at the end.
Tomato soup, pinto beans and diced veggies add a nutrition boost to a family favorite meal: Sloppy Joes.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (any color)
1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup low sodium tomato soup
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed well
6 whole wheat or whole grain hamburger buns
Bibb lettuce leaves
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute celery, onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes.
Add in ground beef or turkey, garlic, salt and pepper. Break up beef/turkey with wooden spoon and stir every so often. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked through (until meat is no longer pink.)
Add in soup, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Mix until everything is incorporated.
In a small bowl, mash about half of the beans. Add all the beans to the beef mixture and stir well. Cook for about another 10 minutes until everything is heated through.
Serve on hamburger buns and top with lettuce leaves.
I served them on whole grain buns with Bibb lettuce and the next day, took Heather’s suggestion of serving them over corn tortilla chips — nacho style (her daughter’s favorite way to eat them.)
Sooooooo good.
Next time I think I’m going to do a mash up of this verision and my Loaded Veggie Nachos for the ultimate Sloppy Joe recipe.
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