Veggie-Packed Sloppy Joes (Paleo, Whole30, Low-Carb)

These Paleo and Whole30 Sloppy Joes are packed with vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery and red peppers. They are loaded with flavor and most importantly, takes only 30 minutes to prepare (sweet potatoes included!).

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Easy skillet dinners are so in right now. With families in the throes of schooling and sporting events, parents are always looking for healthier, yet simple meals that require a few ingredients and even less time.

Veggie-Packed Sloppy Joes (Paleo, Whole30, Low-Carb)

Look no further than your kitchen cupboards and pull out all the pantry items and a pound of ground beef and let’s get to it! This easy meal is done from start to finish in under 30 minutes and that includes the time it takes to cook the sweet potatoes — even less if using store-bought buns.

Most importantly, it’s loaded with veggies so you can technically skip salad for the kids. Considering the veggie count, it’s still rather filling thanks to the generous amount of beef.

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Adjustments for Whole30

The recipe does call for Worcestershire Sauce, which traditionally contains natural sweetener such as molasses and coconut sugar. You can find my recipe to Soy-Free Worcestershire Sauce HERE.  However, to completely avoid all sweeteners (as is the protocol for Whole30), you can swap the sauce with coconut aminos and amp the seasonings by adding 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder to the meat mixture. Add this in place of Worcestershire Sauce.

Helpful Tips for these Sloppy Joes:

• Run the vegetables through the food processor to make it more streamlined. One of my children doesn’t like the texture of celery, so I process that through the processor and there’s no fuss!
• If using the food processor, use the grater attachment and grate onions, celery, bell peppers, then carrots, in that order
• No food processor? No worries – just dice everything finely. This may require a little more prep time, but still under 30 minutes! Add those veggies to the pan as you finish dicing them.
• Make these Whole30 and slop those Sloppy Joes on a bed of greens and sweet potatoes. Or if you want the traditional feel of Sloppy Joes, these burger buns are made from sprouted grains. If you’re wanting gluten-free buns, I just use whatever Food for Life sprouted gluten-free bread is on sale at my local grocer.
• Make sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot: place them on a trivet with one cup of water. Set to manual for 6 minutes, then NPR for 5 minutes, then QPR. Your “buns” are ready! Set this in the pressure cooker before starting on the meat mixture.
• The actual Sloppy Joes meat mixture is naturally low-carb with only the carrot and bell pepper bringing a few carbs to the meal. I enjoy these on a bed of greens with some homemade ranch dressing and it’s a delicious salad and low carb!

Related: Homemade Ranch (using dried and fresh herbs)

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Tools Used in This Recipe:

11-cup Food Processor: This appliance makes it so easy to add veggies to any dish, including these Veggie-Packed Sloppy Joes. Just run everything through the grater attachment and you’re good!

15-inch Cast Iron Skillet:  This is my most used pan in the kitchen and I love the large size. It retains heat well making it a great choice for this meal.

Veggie-Packed Sloppy Joes (Paleo, Whole30, Low-Carb)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Anya

Packed with hearty veggies and loaded with flavor, this easy 30-minute meal will become a regular!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking fat such as butter, ghee or lard
• 1 cup yellow onion, shredded or diced see notes
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded or diced
• 1/2 cup celery, shredded or diced
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, shredded or diced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jar 18.3oz. diced tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce see notes for Whole30
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Sweet Potatoes (if using)

1. Place potatoes on a trivet with one cup of water. Set to manual for 6 minutes, then NPR for 5 minutes, then QPR. 

Sloppy Joes Mixture

1. Run the vegetables through the food processor grater attachment. Alternatively, you can finely dice all those vegetables and add them to skillet as you finish dicing. 

2. On medium-high heat, melt cooking fat in cast iron skillet. Toss all vegetables and saute for approximately 5-7 minutes until softened.

3. Add ground beef and stir to break up and combine well with vegetables. 

4. Add garlic and all seasonings. Continue to cook mixture on medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and it's all combined well.

5. Season to taste, if necessary.

6. If using sweet potatoes, gently make a cut lengthwise. Spoon Sloppy Joe meat mixture directly on top of the potato. Garnish with green onions or other fresh herbs and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

For reference: 1 medium onion should yield 1 cup of diced onions; 1 medium carrot should yield 1/2 cup of diced carrots; 1 large celery stalk should yield 1/2 cup diced celery; and 1/2 bell pepper should yield 1/2 cup of diced pepper. Please note, these are all estimates.

For Whole30 to replace Worcestershire Sauce: use 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder.  Add with rest of seasonings into the meat and veggie mixture.

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