Healthier Big Mac Sloppy Joes

These delicious big mac sloppy joes are the best of two of the greatest comfort foods. You’d never know that this is a lightened-up version with all the flavors of McDonald’s Big Mac and a classic sloppy joe. It’s also a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that your whole family will love! This is fast food at home you’ll feel good after eating!

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Why you’ll love this

If you need an easy meal for busy weeknights and you’re craving the flavors of fast food, look no further than this delicious twist of a recipe!

This big mac sloppy joes recipe is a fun twist on the classic sandwich complete with special sauce and all the fixings. It’s truly one of my favorite easy dinners and always a major crowd pleaser too.

These sandwiches are a meal in themselves piled with lean ground beef, lettuce, pickles, cheese and creamy sauce on soft sesame seed buns. This recipe is packed with protein and lower in calories and saturated fat. It’s sure to become a family favorite!

One serving has 27 grams of protein, making it an excellent lunch or dinner. Plus it comes together quickly in less than 30 minutes and re-heats like you just pulled it off the stove, making it an easy weeknight dinner or meal prep!

You can easily turn this into a more complete meal by adding a side of veggies like cucumbers, carrot sticks and peppers to up the fiber and nutrients. The copycat big mac sauce makes a great dip for veggies too!

Now that you know how delicious these are, let’s get into how easy they are to make!

Ingredients

Sloppy Joe meat ingredients

• Lean ground beef: I like to use at least 93% lean ground beef for that classic big mac flavor, but 97% lean or ground turkey work well too for the protein base of this recipe. I love lean ground beef because it keeps it lean and you don’t have to worry about excess grease.
• Olive oil: You’ll need a little bit of olive oil to sauté the onions and brown the ground meat. Olive oil adds flavor and healthy fats as well.
• Onion: Diced sweet or yellow onion works well in this recipe to build flavor in the sloppy joe mixture. Be sure to save some out to top your burgers if you like an extra onion crunch!  
• Ketchup: The base of any sloppy joe is a flavorful tomato base. Ketchup works so well because it adds a little sweetness and tons of flavor without having to combine a bunch of ingredients. If you’re using unsweetened ketchup, add 1-2 tsp of honey or maple syrup.
• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce is a secret for building the savory and slightly tangy flavor of a sloppy joe.
• Yellow mustard: Acid helps to balance out the rich sauce and tangy yellow mustard is perfect for it. You can also use dijon mustard.
• Spices: Paprika adds a very mild sweetness and helps to build the deep red color of a classic sloppy joe sauce. Garlic powder adds layers of flavor without any additional peeling or chopping, garlic powder adds that slow-cooked feel in seconds. You can also add some onion powder if you like more concentrated onion flavor.

Big Mac Sauce ingredients

• Plain Greek yogurt: This provides the base for the sauce and adds protein, too! Once it’s mixed up you’ll never know that this creamy sauce is mostly Greek yogurt.
• Mayonnaise: Just two tablespoons of mayo adds that classic Big Mac sauce flavor but keeps things a little lighter.
• Ketchup: The slightly sweet and savory flavor of ketchup adds a sweet and rich tomato taste.
• Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard adds a nice, subtle mustard tang to the dressing. Yellow mustard also works well here.
• Spices: Paprika, garlic powder, salt and peppers add a depth of flavor to the sauce and help to give it that signature look.
• Honey: Adding honey or maple syrup adds the perfect amount of balanced sweetness and helps counteract some of the acidity from the vinegar and mustard in this sauce. 
• Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds a bit of tang and acidity to balance out the rest of the flavors in the sauce. White vinegar works too. If you don’t have any you can also use pickle juice, yum!
• Salt + black pepper

Sloppy joe fixings

You can add any sloppy joe fixings that you like, but these are my personal favorites.

• Hamburger buns: No sloppy joe or big mac is complete without a bun! I like to use a classic sesame seed hamburger bun or fresh bakery bun here, but if you are looking to up the fiber and nutrition opt for a whole wheat or multigrain option- Dave’s Killer Bread has a fabulous option.
• Shredded lettuce: Iceberg lettuce shredded thin is a fast food staple, it also adds a satisfying crunch to the sloppy joe texture.
• Dill pickle chips: Dill pickle chips are a classic big mac topping that adds crunch and zing. If you don’t have any at home opt for a small squeeze of sweet pickle relish.
• American cheese: The flavor of melty cheese slices and the savory sloppy joe filling pair so well! Cheddar cheese is another great choice for a bit more sharpness.

How to make Big Mac sloppy joes

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until onions begin to soften.

2. Reduce heat to medium low and add ground beef, garlic powder and paprika to the pan, breaking up the meat. Stir occasionally and cook until the ground beef is completely browned/cooked through. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard. Allow to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes on low, stirring regularly.

3. While the beef is cooking, make the big mac sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Assemble the sloppy joes on buns with meat, plenty of big mac sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese and plenty of big mac sauce.

How to store

Store leftover meat and sauce separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Variations

• Swap the full sized buns for slider rolls or whole wheat wraps. You could even serve these in pita bread pockets.
• Trade out the shredded lettuce for shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix for extra crunch and fiber.
• Mix up the meat. This recipe works with ground beef, turkey or even ground chicken. For a vegetarian twist use crumbled extra firm tofu and drained/rinsed dark red kidney beans.
• Make it a big mac salad bowl! Layer some crunchy lettuce or cabbage with the ground beef mixture, a slice of American Cheese, dice pickles and onions and of course top with big mac sauce. Add a few french fries on the side or even roasted potatoes mixed in.
• No time for the homemade dressing? You can use a shortcut like thousand island dressing instead.
• Add extra veggies: tomatoes, spinach, or sliced jalapeńos for a spicy kick.

More comfort food recipes you’ll love

• Big Mac Wrap Recipe
• Big Mac Ground Turkey Sliders
• Smash Burger Tacos
• One-Pot Macaroni Cheeseburger Soup
• Deconstructed Burger Salad Bowl
• Creamy Potato and Hamburger Soup

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