These fast and easy healthy Sloppy Joes are tangy, sweet, and savory all at once! The saucy -two-bean filling is a hit with kids and adults alike.
Looking for a healthy dinner recipe that’s lightening fast and seriously satisfying? These healthy Sloppy Joes are a dinnertime savior around here. And they’re a hit with kids, adults, carnivores, and plant-eaters alike! The two-bean saucy filling is savory, tangy, and a little sweet. The secret? Kidney beans and pinto beans, sauteed onions, ketchup, and a whole bunch of savory spices. Our son Larson cannot get enough of them! Here’s how to make this fast and easy dinner recipe.
Why make these Sloppy Joes?
First of all: why make these healthy Sloppy Joes? If you’re looking to eat more plant-based foods, it’s the perfect way to satisfy a craving for the meat-based version of this comfort food. You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy it: this recipe is a great for eaters of all kinds who want to eat less meat and more plants.
There’s more and more research out about the benefits to your body and the environment of eating less meat. This New York Times article shows the difference in emissions of eating beef versus vegetables (scroll to the info graphic). Check out the impact of beef versus beans. So this one is great for
How to make healthy Sloppy Joes: the basic steps
These two-bean vegan Sloppy Joes are easy to make and come together in just 20 minutes. It’s the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Here are the basic steps for how to make them:
- Saute minced onion and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
- Add pinto beans, kidney beans, ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
- Serve on a bun and enjoy!
Make it a meal!
The texture of these healthy Sloppy Joes isn’t quite like the meat version: beans are much different than meat! So you’ll need to prepare your eaters that it’s a different kind of Sloppy Joes: but just as tasty! If you’re looking for a sandwich with more of a meaty texture, try our Vegan Sloppy Joes instead.
For serving with these healthy Sloppy Joes, we suggest whipping up a batch of our easy vinegar coleslaw (pictured) or our best creamy coleslaw recipe. Or, here’s a collection of recipes we think would be fantastic side dish recipes to serve alongside:
- Baked Potato Wedges or Parmesan Potato Wedges
- Baked Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Best Tossed Salad Recipe
- Radish Chopped Salad Recipe
- Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
- Classic Vegan Potato Salad
- The BEST Kale Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- French Potato Salad
- Skillet Corn on the Cob
More vegan kid friendly recipes
This Sloppy Joes recipe always goes over well with kiddos: we always know it will be a hit. If you’re looking for more vegan kid friendly recipes, head to 10 Top Vegan Recipes for Kids. We share our top 10 vegan recipes for kids like our creamy tomato soup, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and more!
This healthy Sloppy Joes recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy free. For gluten-free, use a gluten-free bun.
PrintHealthy Sloppy Joes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These fast and easy healthy Sloppy Joes are tangy, sweet, and savory all at once! The saucy -two-bean filling is a hit with kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 celery rib or green onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (or this substitute)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Dash hot sauce
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and celery. In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Drain the beans. Add the kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper to the skillet, and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes until thickened. Taste, and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve on a toasted bun, with vinegar coleslaw or creamy coleslaw if desired.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Healthy Sloppy Joes, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Vegan Sandwich Recipe, Sandwich Recipes, Healthy Dinner Ideas
33 Comments
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
March 26, 2012 at 5:27 amThis sounds absolutely fantastic! Awesome idea!
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
March 26, 2012 at 8:47 amWelcome home, you guys! :) I’m excited to read about your trip!
Lisa in Indy
March 26, 2012 at 1:07 pmOh, sounds yummy, Sonja and Alex ! Bless your hearts – what a trip but so rewarding. Yes, share pics and wonderful stories!!!
Shelley
March 26, 2012 at 6:24 pmwill you be posting that slaw recipe too? :) looks amazing
Sonja
March 28, 2012 at 8:37 pmYes! :) Just did — https://www.acouplecooks.com/2012/03/fresh-cabbage-slaw/
Heidi @ Food Doodles
March 26, 2012 at 6:53 pmMmmm, I love this idea! I have made lentil sloppy joes in the past, but my husband wont touch lentils, so I can’t wait to try a bean version!
Sonja
March 28, 2012 at 8:42 pmOoo, lentils sound like a good idea too! We’ll have to try that.
Victoria
June 17, 2014 at 7:44 pmI have tried lentils too but this texture is much better.
Sara {Home is Where the Cookies Are}
March 26, 2012 at 8:02 pmThis looks fantastic! I love bean based meals like this, and so nice to have a quick comfort food adaptation. Thanks!
Danielle
March 27, 2012 at 2:20 pmWorcester isn’t vegetarian (fyi). I don’t know if you were going for that, but I think vegetarian when I see meatless. I’m going to definitely try this, sans worcester sauce.
Alex
March 27, 2012 at 2:25 pmI guess it depends on your definition of vegetarian — but, I agree that with anchovies, Worcestershire is definitely not vegan. We eat meatless meals mostly for health and environmental reasons, so we don’t mind a small amount of fish in our diet.
Lisa Marie
June 20, 2012 at 9:05 pmYou actually can buy vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Em
March 27, 2012 at 10:02 pmHi, y’all!
Love the website — and how much inspiration you’re providing me as a vegetarian newly transported to the Indy area. A quick note, though: Worcestershire sauce isn’t vegetarian. It has anchovies in it (unless you buy a specifically marked vegetarian brand).
Sonja
March 28, 2012 at 8:47 pmThis is true! Since you weren’t the first to note this, I’ve added a note to the recipe.
We’re not strict vegetarians – we just eat mainly meatless meals for environmental and sustainability reasons. So, occasional fish and local meat is part of our diet!
Glad you enjoy the website – and glad to meet a fellow Indy resident!
Kelly
April 2, 2012 at 7:21 pmthis is delicious! we ate it for dinner tonight and loved it! :-)
Courtney Jones
April 4, 2012 at 3:25 pmWhat a great idea :) Looks incredibly delicious! A great quick meal for a busy weeknight. I’ll have to try this soon!
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty
April 4, 2012 at 10:29 pmYum, yum, yum. I’ve been toying with the idea of vegetarian sloppy joes recently. Looks like this would fit the bill perfectly.
Laura F
April 18, 2012 at 8:14 amHello to my fellow nap-town residents! I made this for dinner last night and it was very good! My husband grew up eating Manwich and said it wasn’t quite as sweet as that, so I may add a little brown sugar next time. I think you could present this recipe as a type of thick chili soup, as well. We both decided this is definitely a “make again” recipe, so thanks!
P.S. for vegetarians: I subbed tamari (soy) sauce for the Worcestershire sauce and it worked out just fine.
Vanessa
April 18, 2012 at 6:52 pmHey there! I have made so many of your recipes and I thought it was time for me to pop in and say how much we (my hubby, my 1 year old daughter, and I) love your creations. This one in particular was a HUGE hit! I will definitely be making this again!
Alex
May 6, 2012 at 8:25 pmThanks for leaving us this comment! We love to hear what recipes people are really enjoying!
Ruth
May 6, 2012 at 8:21 pmI enjoy reading your recipes, have made a couple of them and liked them. Any way you could includ
e nitritional information (calories, protein, etc?)
Alex
May 6, 2012 at 8:24 pmI’m glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes! We don’t like to focus too much on nutritional information, we feel sometimes it can be distracting from our focus on homemade food. Any time you are interested in the facts about one of our recipes, you can just coy and paste the ingredient list and number of servings into the calculator on this website: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php. Thanks for commenting!
Carla
May 23, 2012 at 2:35 pmThis is a great recipe! I will definitely be trying this soon. Quick question – any reason why fresh garlic isn’t included?
Alex
May 23, 2012 at 2:41 pmI don’t think we left it out for any particular reason, probably just to keep the prep as easy possible. Let us know if you try it!
Vanessa Ann
July 28, 2012 at 12:27 amHi! Just made this & it’s amazing!!! Love the blog! It’s awesome;)
Amanda R
August 26, 2012 at 7:57 pmHi! My husband and I have been big fans of your blog for a while. We recently switched from vegetarian to vegan, and I was so glad to see this recipe. We just made it and LOVED it! We did buy vegan Worcestershire sauce (brand: Annie’s naturals, found in the condiment aisle at Whole Foods). It was great. It is a little pricey for a small bottle, so if there are other vegans out there wanting to make this, it might be worth it to make a homemade version. I found this recipe – from Martha Stewart, oddly enough – but haven’t tried it (http://www.marthastewart.com/258132/homemade-vegan-worcestershire-sauce).
Thank you so much for the tasty recipe! Keep doin’ what you do.
Amanda
Loryn
October 23, 2012 at 8:27 pmI just made this for supper, and I’m so impressed! It was perfect comfort food for a wet fall day. I just made a couple minor adjustments. Left out the Worchestershire, as I’m vegetarian, added some barbecue sauce for a little sweetness, and used balsamic vinegar because I didn’t realize I was out of apple cider vinegar. We ate it on whole wheat ciabatta rolls. It was real hit, and I’ll definitely make it again.
Sonja
October 24, 2012 at 8:39 pmSounds delicious – the adjustments sound great! Thanks for the reminder on this recipe; we’ll have to make it again too! :)
Amber
May 1, 2013 at 7:51 pmDefinately sub the worcestire sauce for either soy or barbeque sauce. I like to sub the worcestire sauce for soy sauce and still add a bit of bbq sauce. YUM
Alla
May 26, 2013 at 7:33 pmThis recipe is delicious! We are making it again this week :)
Victoria
June 17, 2014 at 7:33 pmI made these last week and they are so good. I am a pescatarian so I do use the Worcestershire but either way this is amazing. Best “sloppy Joe” I have had since I quit meat over 3 years ago. Thank you for sharing!
Maureen Hosey
May 30, 2019 at 2:55 pmHave you cooked with, or made, seitan? I trust your recipes and I would want to use one of your seitan recipes if you had one. Thanks.
Ella
July 21, 2020 at 9:41 pmAmazing – fast, delicious, and satisfying! I thought it was great on its own, but could see some carrot coins being a nice cool accompaniment.