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These savory pumpkin BBQ sloppy joes are destined to be your new favorite weeknight recipe! It’s a quick, seasonal dinner idea and a great way to use pumpkin, filled with loads of flavor. You’ll want to get messy with these sloppy sandwiches year-round!
I’m not lying when I say that we make these pumpkin BBQ sloppy joes at least once a week. It is always on our weeknight menu plan because of how incredibly easy it is to make and how flavorful it is.
I swear every time I’m chopping up red bell peppers and have the bottle of BBQ sauce on the stove, Jason excitedly asks, “are you making the sloppy joes again?” We absolutely LOVE this recipe and I think your family will too once you try it!
What is a Sloppy Joe Sandwich?
Haha, I’ve often wondered about this too. Without doing any research, my shot-in-the-dark answer is that sloppy joes were named after some guy named Joe who ate his sandwich sloppily. But to be honest, how can you NOT eat a sloppy joe sloppily? It literally goes everywhere when you take your first bite!
From research and Wikipedia, Sloppy Joes are an American dish that originated in the early 20th century. Formally from Wikipedia: Marilyn Brown, Director of the Consumer Test Kitchen at H.J. Heinz in Pittsburgh, says their research at the Carnegie Library suggests that the sloppy joe’s origins lie with the “loose meat sandwiches” sold in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1930s and were the creation of a cook named Joe.
So it WAS named after a guy named Joe!!!
How do people eat Sloppy Joes?
I suppose you could use a fork and knife but the best and only way to eat a sloppy joe is with your hands!
If you’re looking for a proper way to eat a sloppy joe, you are probably better off eating a bowl of pasta bolognese, haha. I mean honestly, the point of a sloppy joe is to get messy, right? Just have a plate underneath to catch all the goodies.
Sloppy Joe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you’ll need for these pumpkin BBQ sloppy joes. Thankfully, the ingredient list is pretty short, and you probably already have everything in your fridge or pantry! Basically, you have no excuse not to make pumpkin sloppy joes ASAP. Oh, and it all goes in one pot and on the stovetop! Winner winner, sloppy joe dinner.
- Pumpkin
- BBQ sauce
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Ground turkey
- Worcestershire sauce
If you make this recipe and want more sloppy joe-inspired recipes, try these easy dinner ideas:
- Chorizo stout sloppy joes
- Sloppy joe mac and cheese
- Epic breakfast grilled cheese sandwiches
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Pumpkin BBQ Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 pound (454 g) ground turkey
For the sauce
- 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (143 g) your favorite BBQ sauce, (we use Stubb’s Sweet Heat)
- ¼ cup (60 g) ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and break it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- In the meantime, while the turkey is cooking through, in a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Once the turkey has cooked through, pour the sauce into the skillet and stir to incorporate.
- Let simmer, covered, for 10 minutes on low heat. Season to taste then serve hot with brioche buns or your favorite hamburger buns.
Excellent! I was concerned about the sauce being too sweet so I used tomato paste instead of ketchup. I also added a dash of cayenne pepper.
Served it with homemade coleslaw (cause I’m fancy like that!). Next time, I’ll make a double batch & freeze half for a future meal. Thanks :-)
I think it was a little bit too sweet, so I will probably cut down the ketchup next time. We used a different barbeque sauce than the recipe indicates, which could have played a part. Overall a good recipe, and quick and easy!
So glad to hear this!
These were great. I was worried that you would be able to detect the pumpkin (my husband would have been morally offended) but you can’t. It just makes the sauce super thick and creamy and hearty. AND it’s an added boost of veggie! These took such a short time to make and I’ll be coming back to this recipe.