These Whole30 and Paleo Sloppy Joes are so tasty! Saucy and filled with flavour this homemade sloppy Joe recipe is made without ketchup, without wine and without brown sugar and is filled with hidden veggies to make them a healthy version of the classic recipe we all know and love. Easy to make in just one pan these sloppy Joes are the perfect quick and easy meal.
Whole30 and Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe
Did you grow up eating sloppy joes? I did! But the recipe I grew up on was made with ketchup and brown sugar, so once I changed to the paleo diet sadly I couldn’t eat that version anymore. I actually hadn’t eaten sloppy joes for years until I came up with this recipe. And you guys, these Whole30 and paleo sloppy joes are so, so good! Saucy, filled with flavour and loaded with hidden veggies, this homemade sloppy Joe recipe is so much healthier than traditional homestyle sloppy joes.
I made these sloppy joes without brown sugar, without wine, and without ketchup and instead created a homemade sauce that tastes just as good as any other old fashioned sloppy joes. You can use a sweet potato or white potatoe bun to turn this Whole30 and paleo sloppy Joe recipe into a complete meal that the whole family will love!
Why these are the best Whole30 and Paleo Sloppy Joes:
- Even though these sloppy Joes are made without ketchup, without wine and without brown sugar they taste just like traditional homestyle sloppy Joes and have the most delicious richly flavoured sauce.
- They are so quick and easy to make and are a one pan meal that your whole family will love!
- These sloppy joes are perfect for meal prep, make great leftovers and also freeze really well.
- They are loaded with veggies to make a complete, healthy meal.
- These bunless sloppy Joes can be made using a potato bun, sweet potato bun or you can turn them into sloppy Joe bowls too!
Key Ingredients for these healthy sloppy Joes:
- Canned chopped or diced tomatoes: these form the base of the sauce. A sloppy Joe just isn’t a sloppy Joe without tomatoes!
- Coconut aminos: to help give this homemade sauce the perfect flavour
- Coconut vinegar: this is one of my favourite types of vinegar! It has such a unique flavour. You could easily use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Dates: to give the sloppy Joe sauce the perfect amount of sweetness, without any refined sugar or ketchup!
Variations and tips for these Whole30 and Paleo Sloppy Joes:
- Instead of using ground beef feel free to use ground bison, ground turkey or ground chicken to make these sloppy joes
- If you don’t have coconut vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar instead
- Instead of green onion you could use a medium white onion
- You could make the sauce with honey instead of dates (note that honey wouldn’t be Whole30 compliant)
- You could add other vegetables such as carrots or celery
- This recipe stores really well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- This recipe also freezes really well – I love freezing them in my Souper Cubes to make perfectly sized portions that can easily be reheated anytime you need a quick meal.
Watch how to make these Healthy Sloppy Joe’s:
To turn these into Sloppy Joe Bowls:
Instead of making these with a potato bun or sweet potato bun you can easily turn them into sloppy Joe bowls by topping your favorite cooked veggies with the sloppy Joe sauce from this recipe. Some of my favourite veggies to use are cauliflower rice, broccoli, spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles.
Frequently asked questions:
A quick google search told me that the reason they are called sloppy joes is that a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s café in Sioux City Iowa added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches and the “sloppy joe” sandwich was created.
I love pairing sloppy joes with cooked broccoli, cooked cauliflower, a side salad or chopped raw vegetables. If you don’t use a potato bun or a sweet potato bun you could also add the sloppy Joe sauce to cauliflower rice or white rice (if you aren’t on the paleo or Whole30 diets). You could also use my paleo bread recipe instead of a sweet potato or potato bun to create a sloppy Joe sandwich.
All you need to do is bake your potatoes, then slice them in half and fill them with the sloppy Joe sauce. Note that technically white potatoes are not paleo, so if you are following a strict paleo diet then you will need to use a sweet potato bun (white potatoes are allowed on the Whole30 diet). This is a great way to make bunless sloppy Joes!
Other recipes you will like:
- Whole30 Scalloped Potatoes
- Paleo Bread Recipe
- Meatloaf with Blueberries
- Bacon and Vegetable Egg Casserole
- Paleo Chili with Blueberries
- Whole30 Potato Salad
If you make this recipe be sure to give it a star rating below! And be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook too!
Whole30 & Paleo Sloppy Joes
Whole30 and Paleo Sloppy Joes are a healthier twist on a traditional homestyle classic. Made without sugar and without ketchup this recipe is kid friendly and makes great leftovers!
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cans chopped or diced tomatoes (equivalent to 796mL)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 6 dates (sub 2-3 TBSP honey if not on the Whole30 diet or if on the SIBO diet)
- 2 TBSP coconut vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed (sub 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil)
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (sub for paprika if you don't have smoked paprika)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Beef and Vegetable Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 lbs grass fed ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
Instructions
Sauce Instructions
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Add all the sauce ingredients to your Vitamix blender and let soak for ~20 minutes
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Blend the ingredients well until smooth
Beef and Vegetable Instructions
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Place a large pan on the stove on medium heat and add the coconut oil and let it melt
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Add the green onion and chopped peppers to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes
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Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink
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Add the sauce and mix well to combine all the ingredients
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Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes (until it reaches the thickness you like)
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t have coconut vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar instead
- Instead of green onion you could sub a medium white onion
- Feel free to use different coloured peppersÂ
- You could make the sauce with honey instead of dates (note that honey wouldn’t be Whole30 compliant)Â
- To make a potato bun or sweet potato bun simply bake a potato, slice it in half and pour the sloppy Joe mix on top
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