HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!
If you are needing a healthier option to burgers and hotdogs, I have a last minute idea for you. These sloppy Joes are just 4 Weight Watchers FreeStyle Smart Points (when using sandwich thins and taking out the sugar) and 3 WW FreeStyle SP when using low calorie hamburger buns, like Sara Lee 80 calories & delightful wheat hamburger buns and ommiting the sugar. You can go here for a list of low SP bread and buns. 
Just for frame of reference, 1/2 cup of the sloppy joe mixture is 1 Weight Watchers FreeStyle Smart Point. If you want to keep one serving at just 1 WW FreeStyle Smart Point you could serve the mixture on a lettuce wrap.
A Dashing Dish Recipe!
This recipe comes from Katie Farrell’s “Dashing Dish” cookbook. If you didn’t see the Dashing Dish giveaway that was posted yesterday you can go to that here. We will be giving away one free copy of Katie’s cookbook, “Dashing Dish: 100 Simple & Delicious Recipes for Clean Eating” and Katie’s devotional “Devotions for a Healthier You: Feeding Mind, Body, and Soul”.
Giveaway has ended.
This skinny sloppy Joe recipe is one of 100 recipes in the “Dashing Dish” cookbook. I love that Katie gives directions for making these in the slow cooker or on the stove top. I have actually made this recipe twice now and I tried both ways of cooking (slow cooker and stove top) and they both turned out great. Katie gives the option of using green bell pepper or carrots. I tried making this both ways, and again, it was good either way. The difference between the vegetables did not change the taste too much, in my opinion.
Katie also suggests in her recipes using, “sweetener that tastes like sugar”. Artificial sweetener ruins a recipe for me, so I just used regular sugar, but she also notes that the sugar is optional in this recipe. When I calculated the smart points per serving for this recipe I factored in regular white sugar, but then I realized that whether you use regular sugar or artificial sweetener the smart points per serving don’t actually change for this recipe since you are only using one tablespoon.
Here is what you need:
1 pound extra-lean ground turkey breast
1 small green bell pepper (or 3/4 cup carrots), finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup low-sugar ketchup
1 tablespoon sweetener that measures like sugar, optional
8 sandwich thins (or low calorie high-fiber buns or wraps)
Directions for cooking in the slow cooker.
Cook the ground turkey, bell pepper (or carrots), onions, and garlic powder in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the turkey mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker, along with the pinto beans, tomato sauce, mustard, honey, ketchup, and optional sweetener. Cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 8 hours.
Spoon the warm meat on a sandwich thin, or low-calorie hamburger bun, if desired and enjoy!
Directions for cooking on the stove-top.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the onion and peppers (or carrots) and add 1/3 cup water.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the ketchup and cook 2 minutes longer or until the water has evaporated.
Add the turkey and cook until it is browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
Once the meat is browned, stir in the tomato sauce, honey, mustard, garlic powder, beans, and optional sweetener.
Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
Spoon the warm meat on a sandwich thin, or low-calorie hamburger bun, and enjoy!
Makes 8 servings (1/2 cup Sloppy Joe mixture)
1/2 cup of the sloppy joe mixture is 1 WW FreeStyle Smart Point.
When you leave the recipe as it is and use light hamburger buns it is 4 WW FreeStyle SP per sloppy joe. (This is what I will be using in the meal plan for this week)
or you can take out the sugar and use a light hamburger bun to make is 3 WW FreeStyle Smart Points per Sloppy Joe.
or you can take out the sugar and use a sandwich thin to make it 4 WW FreeStyle Smart Points (when using sandwich thins)
Check out our list of low Smart Point bread and buns if you aren’t sure what to look for in the store.
- 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey breast
- 1 small green bell pepper (or 3/4 cup carrots), finely chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup low-sugar ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sweetener that measures like sugar, optional
- 8 sandwich thins (or high-fiber buns or wraps)
- Directions for cooking in the slow cooker:
- Cook the ground turkey, bell pepper (or carrots), onions, and garlic powder in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the turkey mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker, along with the pinto beans, tomato sauce, mustard, honey, ketchup, and optional sweetener. Cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 8 hours. Spoon the warm meat on a sandwich thin, or low-calorie hamburger bun, if desired and enjoy!
- Directions for cooking on the stove-top:
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the onion and peppers (or carrots) and add 1/3 cup water. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the ketchup and cook 2 minutes longer or until the water has evaporated. Add the turkey and cook until it is browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Once the meat is browned, stir in the tomato sauce, honey, mustard, garlic powder, beans, and optional sweetener. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 2 to 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Spoon the warm meat on a sandwich thin, or low-calorie hamburger bun, and enjoy!
*MyWW® points calculated by Meal Planning Mommies; Not endorsed by MyWW (formerly Weight Watchers and WW). All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. MyWW® green, blue, and purple values calculated without WW Zero Points foods using the WW Recipe Builder.
This sounds very tasty, but I’m not sure of the benefit of using the slow-cooker. Cooking times are just about equal on the stove (before putting things in the crock). Why not just be done with it? LOL! Trying this tomorrow night – on the stove. 🙂
Yes, you are right Lara. I guess the question is, Do you want to spend a little time in the morning or in the the evening? 🙂 It really does turn out just as good either way. When I made it in the slow cooker it was because I was taking it to a lunch potluck and I wanted to keep the food warm at the potluck. It was a hit there! Hope you like it too.
Hi, where are you finding the Sara Lee 80 calorie hamburger buns? I haven’t seen them and can’t find them on the Sara Lee web site either?
Thank you
Hi Debbie, not all stores carry the same brands and some have a better variety than others. There are some other low smart point bun ideas on our smart lunches with smart points post here: http://mealplanningmommies.com//smart-lunch-ideas-with-weight-watcher-smart-points/
Hope this helps!