Are sloppy joes healthy for you?

When made homemade with healthier ingredients, yes! Sloppy joes is a great nourishing dish for the whole family. I recommend using high quality grass fed meat and unsweetened ketchup. You can also use maple syrup as the sweetener, which will make it refined sugar-free!

What can I use instead of bread for sloppy joes?

I love serving healthier sloppy joes on top of baked potatoes, including baked sweet potato. You can also serve it over rice, roasted sweet potatoes , or even in a wrap!

Does sloppy joes have sugar?

Yes, traditional sloppy joe mix from a can has sugar. When you make sloppy joes homemade, you can swap the sugar for a natural sweetener like maple syrup.

Do you drain the meat when making sloppy joes?

That's completely up to you! If you want your sloppy joes to be extra sloppy, don't drain the meat. If you want to reduce the fat and have thicker (less runny) sloppy joes, drain the fat from the meat before adding in any vegetables or sauce.

Healthy Sloppy Joes

Name: Healthy Sloppy Joes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 21 min
Total time: 26 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 lb ground beef; ½ medium yellow onion, minced; ¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper; ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste); ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 garlic cloves, minced; ¾ cup tomato sauce; ¼ cup unsweetened Primal Kitchen ketchup; ¼ cup water; 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; ¾ teaspoon chili powder; 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional); For serving: 4 gluten free buns or baked sweet potatoes

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Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews

Healthy Sloppy Joes

Insanely delicious and savory healthy sloppy joes made with whole ingredients! This easy one-pan meal includes ground beef simmered in a fresh and flavorful sauce. Serve with toasted buns or stuffed in sweet potatoes for paleo sloppy joes. The entire family will rave about this one!

Prep: 5Cook: 21Total: 26 minutes

Servings: 4 1x

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground beef
½ medium yellow onion, minced
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup unsweetened Primal Kitchen ketchup
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¾ teaspoon chili powder
1–2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
For serving: 4 gluten free buns or baked sweet potatoes

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Instructions

Brown the Meat: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and brown the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spatula as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Drain most of the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
Saute the Vegetables: Add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir and cook the vegetables until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir in the Sauce: Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, water, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, and hot sauce (optional) to the pan and stir to combine.
Simmer: Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to your liking.
Serve: Once thickened, season with more salt to taste. Serve on toasted buns or over a baked sweet potato.

Notes

Make sure your vegetables are finely chopped.
Leave out the maple syrup and serve over sweet potatoes for whole30 sloppy joes.
Draining the fat helps the meat thicken a little better at the end.

Recipe By: Noelle Tarr, NTP, CPT

Find it online: https://coconutsandkettlebells.com/healthy-sloppy-joes/