Description
These healthy sloppy joes feature seasoned ground beef simmered in a rich homemade tomato sauce with peppers, onions, and garlic. Spoon the hearty filling onto toasted buns or load it into roasted sweet potatoes for a comforting paleo-friendly dinner everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, very finely diced
- ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus extra if needed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup unsweetened ketchup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- 1–2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional
- Toasted gluten-free buns or baked sweet potatoes for serving
Instructions
- Cook the Ground Beef
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil warms up, add the ground beef to the pan. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat apart into small crumbles while it cooks.
- Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef browns completely and no pink remains.
- Carefully remove most of the grease from the skillet, but leave about 1 tablespoon behind to help keep the filling flavorful and rich.
- Soften the Vegetables
- Add the diced onion and chopped green bell pepper directly into the skillet with the browned beef. Sprinkle in the salt and black pepper.
- Cook the vegetables for about 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions soften and the peppers become tender.
- Next, stir in the minced garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds while stirring constantly so the garlic becomes fragrant without burning.
- Prepare the Sauce
- Pour the tomato sauce, unsweetened ketchup, water, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, and optional hot sauce into the skillet.
- Mix everything thoroughly until the beef and vegetables become evenly coated in the sauce mixture.
- Allow the sauce to heat up until it starts to bubble gently around the edges.
- Simmer Until Thick and Flavorful
- Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and let the mixture cook for approximately 10 minutes.
- During this time, the sauce thickens and develops a deeper savory flavor. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- If you prefer a thicker sloppy joe mixture, continue simmering uncovered for an additional few minutes.
- Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning with additional salt if desired.
- Serve and Enjoy
- Spoon the sloppy joe mixture onto toasted gluten-free buns for a classic sandwich option.
- For a paleo-friendly version, split open baked sweet potatoes and generously stuff them with the warm beef filling.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Finely chopping the vegetables helps them blend smoothly into the sauce.
- For Whole30 Sloppy Joes, omit the maple syrup completely.
- Roasted sweet potatoes pair perfectly with the savory filling.
- Draining excess grease helps the sauce thicken more effectively.
- This recipe doubles easily for meal prep or freezer meals.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 492.3 mg
- Fat: 11.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.4 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 24.5 g
- Cholesterol: 71.2 mg