These Paleo sloppy joes are classic comfort food made without the junk! The sauce is date sweetened to make it Whole30, and it’s quick and easy enough for weeknight dinners. Family approved and makes great leftovers, too! Serve on paleo rolls or on sweet potato “buns”!
Guys, we’re all in for a treat with this one! Who doesn’t love a good sloppy Joe?
Whether you put in on a grain free bun or sweet potato bun, it’s Paleo comfort food ALL THE WAY.
It all starts with the sauce, of course. Since I wanted to really replicate that sloppy joe flavor we all remember from childhood, I got the pickiest eater I could on board to test this one – Adam, AKA my husband.
Just my husband who is the pickiest eater in the house? Anyone else with me here?
What You Need to Make Paleo Sloppy Joes
To make this super-important sauce Whole30 friendly, I used date paste to sweeten it just enough.
You can also use date syrup for a Whole30 option, or maple syrup for paleo.
To balance out the sweetness of the dates, I used raw apple cider vinegar, mustard, tomato paste and sauce, and plenty of yummy spices!
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these sloppy joes:
- date paste or maple syrup
- tomato paste
- tomato sauce,
- apple cider vinegar
- coconut aminos
- mustard
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- ground beef
- olive oil
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- Onion and garlic
- sea salt and black pepper
- paleo rolls or sweet potato buns
How to Make Sweet Potato Buns {for Whole30}
You can easily roast up some sweet potato “buns” in the oven in the time it takes to prepare the sloppy Joe mixture. This is a great Whole30 option!
If you don’t need to make this recipe Whole30, you can always use your favorite gluten free buns or make my one bowl hamburger buns.
Use sweet potatoes that are wide in the center so you can cut them into large 3/4″ rounds. I scrub the sweet potatoes for this instead of peeling.
Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle all over with olive oil or avocado oil, then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like.
Bake at 425° F for about 20 minutes or until softened and the outsides are starting to caramelize.
I hope you’re ready for an easy dinner that’s you’ll want on repeat in your house!
Grab your ingredients and your favorite skillet because it’s time for dinner – let’s go!
Paleo Sloppy Joes {Whole30 Option}
Paleo Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {Whole30}
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 oz can tomato sauce no salt added
- 3 Tablespoons date paste or syrup OR 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Beef mixture:
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-hight heat and add the oil. Crumble in the beef and sprinkle all over with sea salt and pepper, then stir gently. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook until the meat is browned and veggies are softened, then remove from heat. I prefer not to drain liquid/fat but you can do this now if you prefer.
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Add all of the sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then lower the heat and allow to gently simmer, stirring occasionally (careful not to burn) for 10 minutes or so, then remove from heat.
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You can also serve the sloppy joes with oven baked sweet potato "buns" or baked sweet potatoes, on gluten free or paleo hamburger buns, or over veggie noodles, spaghetti squash or grain free pasta. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For sweet potato "buns", use sweet potatoes that are wide in the center so you can cut them into large 3/4" rounds. I scrub the sweet potatoes for this instead of peeling.
Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle all over with olive oil or avocado oil, then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like.
Bake at 425° F for about 20 minutes or until softened and the outsides are starting to caramelize.
Nutrition
Want More Paleo and Whole30 dinner ideas? Try One of These!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
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So darn good!!! Love this recipe, thank you!!
Was making your previous version of this recipe, but this new updated one is even better!
Excellent sloppy Joe recipe, and healthy. I use honey for the sweetener.
Your prep time says 10 min and cook time is 20 min but total time is 1 hour 30. Am I missing something?
Love it.
Do you think it would work to dump everything in a crockpot? If so, how long would you say to cook it?
This was great! Everyone loved it!
I learned something new from your blog. Thanks! Solar
Yes, it has been updated. I first made this recipe Jan 2022 – added a post to FB pg. Looking at my printed recipe copy and the ingredients are not the same. Think I’ll compare the two and make necessary adjustments to create a new version.
Could I make this in slow cooker?