This Sloppy Joe Casserole is a healthy recipe filled with vegetables, (your kids won’t even know they’re there!) lean ground turkey and chickpeas and topped with a biscuit topping. With your help, my recipe could be selected as the National Signature Pulse Recipe for the U.S.! Just go to the USADPLC Facebook page, and vote for my recipe by giving it a like! 🙂
Can we talk about something near and dear to my heart?
Casseroles. They’re the most underrated dinner, in my humble opinion. 😉 They’re easy to make, versatile to ingredients you have on hand, and can feed a group. You know what else is underrated? Dried beans and lentils… aka pulses.
When was the last time you bought a bag of dried lentils or chickpeas and cooked them at home? They’re much cheaper than canned versions (especially lentils! They’re almost $4.00 a can in my store!) and so healthy.
Why are pulses so awesome? Here are some pulse facts:
They’re gluten-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free, with a low glycemic index and load. They’re high in protein, making them a great source of nutrition for vegans and vegetarians. One ½ cup serving of pulses offers 7 to 9 grams of protein, or 15 percent of your recommended daily intake. One serving of lentils has twice as much protein as quinoa!
Pulses are also high in fiber. On average, one ½ cup serving of pulses delivers ¼ of your recommended daily fiber intake. The antioxidant content of lentils is twice that of blueberries, and three times that of pomegranate juice! Go figure! Pulses are also high in essential nutrients like folate, iron and potassium. Chickpeas contain 3x more folate than kale and more than twice as much iron as chicken.
So now you know my two obsessions: casseroles and dried beans and lentils (pulses) and you can see why I’m obsessed. So many nutritional values in pulses and yet they get overlooked in recipes, am I right?
Well, today I’m combining my two loves into one: Healthier Sloppy Joe Casserole. This American dinner comfort food staple gets a healthy redo. It’s filled with pureed vegetables, (your kids won’t even know they’re there!) lean ground turkey and one of my favorite pulses – chickpeas, then topped with a yummy biscuit topping. My boys love this healthy dinner!
Why am I talking about pulses so much today? Well, each year the United Nations picks a topic of global interest – and they named 2016 to be International Year of Pulses!
Pulses were selected because of their significant health, economic and environmental benefits. Gearing up for 2016, each country was charged by the UN to submit one pulse recipe to represent their country. The USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, which is the body selected by the UN and Global Pulse Confederation to manage International Year of Pulses in the U.S., reached out to me to develop a recipe to be in the running. You guys – I’m so excited about this!
With your help, my recipe could be selected as the National Signature Pulse Recipe for the U.S.!!! Just go to the USADPLC Facebook page, and vote for mine by liking the photo of my casserole! You will forever have my love! Big virtual hugs over here! So head over, vote for me and then make this for dinner tonight! 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 8- ounce package mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 carrots cut into chunks
- 1 medium sized onion cut into chunks
- 1.25 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas directions for cooking dried beans below
- 1 cup baking mix I used Bisquick brand
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Spray a 2.5 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a food processor, blend together mushrooms, garlic, carrots and onion until smooth.
- Break up ground turkey in a large saucepan over medium heat until no longer pink. Add in the pureed vegetables, stirring to combine. Mix in the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until warmed through. Stir in cooked chickpeas.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together baking mix, egg and milk until smooth.
- Pour turkey mixture into an even layer on the bottom of prepared casserole dish. Pour baking mix over turkey and smooth out to create a flat top. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until top layer is cooked through and golden brown.
- Cut into squares and scoop out onto plates. Serve and enjoy!
Well, first of all, pulses is just a fun word. But I’m right there with you – LOVE them. Second, holy cow, this casserole looks out of this world. I love that perfect little crust crowning the top, as well. This is going on the menu very soon!
Healthy + Sloppy Joe in the same sentence?!? YEAH GIRRRRL!!! And you made it look so darn pretty!
I’ve just been starting to introduce the kids to lentils. This would be a meal I think everyone would really enjoy!
What a great spin on such a classic family meal!
Jen, this looks so yummy!
Chickpeas in a casserole? Genius! I loveeee adding all the veggies into my ground turkey saute and adding to sloppy joes is perfect! I can’t wait to add this to our dinner menu!