When I was a kid Sloppy Joe’s were a staple dinner in our house — the traditional beef with the can of sloppy joe sauce (I think it was a can, right?), on a bun with mayo and a side of cole slaw. Dinner served. I loved it. The adult version of me gagged at the thought of it. My tastes have changed, and with mostly healthy eating choices in our house, sloppy joes never came to mind when planning dinner menus. That is, until we realized we could make a clean eating sloppy joe recipe.
Now they are a staple dinner in my house too, just more like Sloppy Joes 2.0 or, as we like to call them, Clean Eating Sloppy Joes. I’ll admit I was terrified to tell my husband what we were having for dinner the first time I made this. I could picture the horrified look on his face as he’s probably even more health conscious than I am. BUT, now he is asking me for them every week.
There are several things I love about this clean eating sloppy joe recipe:
- The recipe is quick and easy.
- It’s healthy!
- It’s pretty inexpensive.
- You can change it up a bit depending on your preferences (sweet potato vs regular baked potato, turkey vs ground beef).
- My kids love it. So, it’s a win.
THE SIMPLE PROCESS TO COOK THIS CLEAN EATING SLOPPY JOE RECIPE
We use ground turkey for our clean eating sloppy joe recipe, but you can definitely use ground beef instead!
The recipe below is more than enough to feed my family of four, but I normally double it and get a leftover night out of it as well! Be warned, once you try it and your family loves it you will have to start making it every week too!
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- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs – Moist & Flavorful with Crispy Skin
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- Soft, Chewy Molasses Cookies with Crisp Edges
Clean Eating Sloppy Joes (Paleo & Whole 30 Friendly)
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee to keep it Whole30 approved
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb cooked ground turkey or ground beef
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Slice sweet potatoes in half, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and place cut-side down on a baking tray. Cook 30-45 minutes or until you can stick a fork through. When finished, let them cool enough to flip over and make mush/cut the middle a bit to make a pocket for the sloppy joe filling.
- Plus butter to a skillet on the stove set to medium heat. Add onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook veggies for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add ground turkey or ground beef to the skillet and season. Stir well with the veggies and cook until cooked through.
- Add tomato paste and coconut aminos to the skillet and stir well until mixture is heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Fill the sweet potatoes with Sloppy Joe mixture.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Hi, I’m Jessica! I am wife to Chris, and mom to Kaip, Alana and Koa. I am a website developer and blogger. In this space, I share about everything from parenting, making money from home, recipes, mom lifestyle, and things for kids! Learn more about me here.
