Healthy Sloppy Joes (Easy Stovetop Recipe)

This Healthy Sloppy Joes recipe is an upgraded comfort-food dish made with simple, real food ingredients. It gets cooked on the stovetop in 35 minutes and is a great make-ahead recipe that you can store in the freezer for a quick-to-reheat weeknight meal. Serve it over baked sweet potatoes, the perfect baked potato, or sandwich buns for a filling, high-protein recipe the whole family will look forward to eating.

A Healthier Version of a Childhood Classic

Our Healthy Sloppy Joes features all the savory, sweet flavors of the traditional dish with a boost of diced veggies and whole-food ingredients. You won’t find any added sugar, preservatives, or MSG in this recipe. Instead, we use lean ground beef, yellow onion, and bell peppers for a meat mixture that satisfies your taste buds and leaves you feeling energized.

Traditional Sloppy Joe filling uses brown sugar and ketchup as the base of the sauce. We’ve lightened it up by using tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce. Cooked in avocado or olive oil in a large skillet, this recipe tastes even better than the homemade Sloppy Joes you remember from your childhood. We’ve served it over baked sweet potatoes as a healthful source of nutrient-dense carbs that is also gluten-free, and Whole30-friendly, while still providing lots of fiber for maximum health.

Ingredients to Make Healthy Sloppy Joes

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Healthy Sloppy Joe recipe, including the meat mixture and sweet potatoes:

• Lean ground beef – may also use ground turkey
• Avocado oil or olive oil – we use Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil or Olive oil
• Yellow onion – you’ll need one small yellow onion; may sub white onion
• Bell pepper – use a yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, or opt for a green bell pepper for fiber, vitamins, and nutrients including vitamin C, calcium, and potassium
• Garlic cloves – use fresh minced garlic not garlic powder
• Tomato paste – adds a rich, concentrated flavor eliminating the need for ketchup or sweeteners like brown sugar or maple syrup
• Water
• Yellow mustard – or sub Dijon mustard to make the Sloppy Joe filling Whole30 compatible
• Apple cider vinegar – gives the meat sauce a tangy taste
• Fish sauce – creates a similar umami flavor as Worcestershire sauce; may also use coconut aminos or tamari; see below for our recommendations

• Paprika – may use sweet paprika or smoked paprika
• Fine salt and black pepper
• Sweet potatoes (optional for serving) – prepare them in the oven or in the Instant Pot to make sweet potato boats that hold the Sloppy Joe filling

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below. 

How to Make Stovetop Sloppy Joes

There’s no need to heat up the oven, these Healthy Sloppy Joes come together in a single large skillet on the stovetop. Here are the basic steps to make it:

1. Sauté the peppers and yellow onion in olive oil or avocado oil on the stovetop.
2. Add the lean ground beef or ground turkey, and cook, breaking it up until it is browned and nearly cooked through.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture. Stir to combine, and continue to cook over medium or medium-high heat until the meat is cooked through and the veggies are tender.
4. In the meantime, make oven baked sweet potatoes or Instant Pot sweet potatoes, cooking them until they’re tender and lightly browned.  
5. Adjust the seasonings of the Sloppy Joe filling to taste, slice your sweet potatoes down the center, and serve them warm stuffed with the meat mixture.  

For the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Recipe Swaps For Special Diets

Make It Gluten Free

To make the Healthy Sloppy Joe filling gluten-free, opt for coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari instead of fish sauce (or use a brand of fish sauce that is certified gluten-free). Serve the filling over baked sweet potatoes or gluten-free buns.

Make It Whole30 Friendly

Use Whole30 approved fish sauce (we like Red Boat Fish Sauce) and make the filling with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce or tamari and Dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard to keep it Whole30-friendly. Serve the filling over lettuce or sweet potatoes. 

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

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