Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls
These Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls will have you thinking twice about this school lunch staple! This healthy Sloppy Joe recipe is quick, easy, and will have you fall in love with this nostalgic recipe as an adult!
If you’re looking for more re-imagined nostalgic dinners, try my Organic Meatloaf with Bone Broth, Quick Homemade Flatbread Pizza Dough (No Yeast), Sweet Chili Chicken Soft Tacos, or Pan Pizza Dough Recipe With Instant Yeast.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Makes: 4 servings
- Main Ingredients: ground beef, onion, sweet potato, ketchup
- Flavor Profile: nostalgic, cozy comfort food
- Dietary Info: eggless, gluten free, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: gluten free twist on nostalgic sloppy joes with sweet potato fries
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nostalgic: If you’re a fan of Sloppy Joe’s then this recipe will be incredibly nostalgic!
- Healthy: This is a healthier take on traditional Sloppy Joe’s because I’m serving them up with sweet potato fries, lettuce, and pickles! You can serve on a bun if you prefer. I also use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, veggies, in the meat, and serving them bowl style makes these naturally gluten free.
- Quick and Easy: This recipe is quick and easy, which makes dinner simple and delicious! Delaney loves this recipe so much. I’ve already made them twice this week!
- Crowd Pleaser: If you have picky eaters, this is a great way to sneak in some veggies. You can also serve these two ways, making dinner healthy for parents and fun for kids.
Sloppy Joe’s were always a meal I dreaded when I was a kid. So, I knew I wanted to make this recipe a bit different from the overly sauced slop I knew as a child. And, I was up for the challenge!
This healthier twist on the classic is a lightly sauced ground beef with sweetness and tang. I serve it over homemade sweet potato fries and crispy iceberg lettuce for a naturally gluten free meal!
Ingredients
- Sweet Potato: I make fries with sweet potato, but you can use Russet potatoes if you prefer.
- Coconut Oil: I use organic coconut oil for the fries, you could also use olive oil if you prefer.
- Garlic Powder: I love using organic garlic powder on fries for flavor!
- Nutritional Yeast: This adds a cheesy flavor to fries!
- Ground Beef: I use organic grassfed ground beef, but you can also make this with ground turkey too.
- Bell Pepper: I use organic green bell pepper here, but you can use any color.
- Coconut Aminos: I add in organic coconut aminos for sweetness. You could also use soy sauce in its place, but I think coconut aminos is much better for you.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips for Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls
- You can use ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner option.
- If your sloppy joe sauce is too thin, let it simmer longer uncovered to reduce and thicken; if it’s too thick, add a splash of coconut aminos.
- For even more mild heat, reduce chili powder; for more kick, add sriracha or cayenne to taste.
- Feel free to serve these on buns for a more traditional sloppy joe if you prefer.
- For extra crunch, add in some green or purple cabbage along with the lettuce.
- Meal prep by making a double batch and freeze extra portions for up to 3 months.
How to Make Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls
- To make the fries: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the sweet potato. Then slice into 1/4-inch thick strips. Place on the baking sheet.
- Drizzle with coconut oil and add the garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Mix together to coat the fries completely. Bake for 20 minutes then flip the fries and bake again for 10 to 20 more minutes or until golden brown to your liking. Add salt after they come out of the oven.
- To make the Sloppy Joe’s: Add the diced onion and pepper to a large skillet with the butter.
- Put over medium heat and sauté until the veggies are cooked and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the veggies are cooking, mix together the salt, pepper, and chili powder.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato paste, coconut aminos, ketchup, and mustard.
- Add the ground beef, spices and half the tomato paste mixture to the skillet with the veggies.
- Continue to cook until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add in the remaining half of the sauce and stir to combine completely.
- To make the bowls: Add lettuce, fries, Sloppy Joe’s, and pickles.
How to Serve
You can serve this in bowls like I do here with the The Best Refrigerator Pickles. Feel free to add in any other toppings you may like such as shredded cheese or diced tomato.
You could also make these with Lemon Herb French Fries instead of sweet potato fries if you prefer. Or, serve alongside classic Bone Broth Mashed Potatoes.
If you are looking for a more traditional Sloppy Joe, try serving these on my Soft White Hamburger Buns, Organic Brioche Buns With Instant Yeast, Homemade Sourdough Hot Dog Buns, or Sourdough Pretzel Buns.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you could make this with ground turkey.
Yes, if you want traditional fries, then feel free to use Russet potatoes.
Store the meat and potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat meat in the microwave and fries in your air fryer.
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Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter (or olive oil)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 pound Organic Prairie Ground Beef
- 4 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
- Pickles
Instructions
- To make the fries: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the sweet potato. Then slice into 1/4-inch thick strips. Place on the baking sheet.
- Drizzle with coconut oil and add the garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Mix together to coat the fries completely.
- Bake for 20 minutes then flip the fries and bake again for 10 to 20 more minutes or until golden brown to your liking. Add salt after they come out of the oven.
- To make the Sloppy Joe’s: Add the diced onion and pepper to a large skillet with the butter. Put over medium heat and sauté until the veggies are cooked and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the veggies are cooking, mix together the salt, pepper, and chili powder.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the tomato paste, ketchup, coconut aminos, and mustard.
- Add the ground beef, spices and half the tomato paste mixture to the skillet with the veggies. Continue to cook until the beef is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add in the remaining half of the sauce and stir to combine completely.
- To make the bowls: Add lettuce, fries, Sloppy Joe’s, and pickles.
Video
Notes
- You can use ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner option.
- If your sloppy joe sauce is too thin, let it simmer longer uncovered to reduce and thicken; if it’s too thick, add a splash of coconut aminos.
- For even more mild heat, reduce chili powder; for more kick, add sriracha or cayenne to taste.
- Feel free to serve these on buns for a more traditional sloppy joe if you prefer.
- For extra crunch, add in some green or purple cabbage along with the lettuce.
- Meal prep by making a double batch and freeze extra portions for up to 3 months.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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Taking sloppy joes to the next level!