These quick and easy paleo sloppy joes can be made, from scratch, in just 20 minutes. This clean eating, kid-friendly recipe is the perfect weeknight meal and is guaranteed to please the whole family. Gluten-free and dairy-free options also available.
Weeknights can be hectic. I used to be able to get back from work, train 2 hours, cook, eat like a king, watch my favorite shows and get my 8-9 hours of sleep, no problem.
Now?
With young 2 kids, our weeknights are a constant run fest and cooking is at the bottom of our priority list. But on the other hand, we want our kids to eat healthy... right?
These paleo sloppy joes are perfect for this matter. To make these, the only thing you’ll need is one pan, 20 minutes of your time and a big smile on your face (knowing that you might finally get some free time after you put the kids to sleep, thanks to this super duper quick recipe!).
They are 100% healthy, made with real food and taste way better than the Manwich canned sauce or any sloppy joe seasoning packet you’ll ever try.
How to make the best (Paleo) Sloppy Joes From Scratch
To make the perfect sloppy joes from scratch, you will essentially need lean ground beef, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, red bell peppers, onion, garlic cloves, soy sauce, maple syrup and white vinegar. You will need to make sure that the sauce is not too liquid, nor too thick: The meat should not be bathing in sauce but the bits of meat should still be clinging together.
Also, make sure you pick fresh, delicious buns and don’t forget to toast them on the inside before adding the sloppy joe filling.
Lastly, I always top the filling with some shredded mozzarella cheese as soon as it’s finished cooking, directly in the pan. I turn off the heat and let it melt a minute or two before serving. Yummy… Cheese is optional here though, but I strongly suggest you add some!
This recipe is refined sugar-free and does not contain ketchup or any other sugar-ridden product. The sauce is made from scratch, with the best ingredients. But don’t be fooled, I did not sacrifice taste here. This sloppy joe filling is absolutely fabulous!
Most Sloppy Joe recipes taste way too sweet for me. Plus, traditional recipes contain way too much salt, which is conveniently hidden by their overly sweet taste. My recipe is balanced just right, without having to rely on tons of sugar to hide the enormous amount of salt most recipes contain.
Bon apétit!
Have you tried this recipe? did you like it? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Please tell me in the comments section below!
Recipe
Paleo Sloppy Joes (Clean Eating, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 to matoes diced
- 12 oz tomato paste 2 X 6oz cans
- 3 teaspoon Bragg Gluten-Free soy sauce *
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tablespoon steak seasoning or bbq spices
- Optional: 1 cup shredded mozzarella **
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the diced onion and red bell pepper for about 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Add the ground beef and steak spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring, breaking the ground beef into small pieces.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking, stirring often, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the beef is thoroughly cooked. There shouldn't be any extra sauce in the bottom of the pan and the pieces of meat should still be clinging together.
- Optional: Turn off the heat and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Toast your favorite hamburger buns on the inside, in the oven on Broil setting (Caution: the bread will toast very quickly this way)
- Fill the hamburger buns with the sloppy joe mixture and any other desired additional toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
