Whole30 Sloppy Joes In A Bowl (Paleo, Gluten Free)
A healthier twist on the childhood classic – These Whole30 Paleo Sloppy Joes in A Bowl come together in 30 minutes or less. It’s a delicious meal the entire family will love! Gluten free, dairy free, grain free.Â
*This post was updated with new photos on 8/10/21 and new copy on 11/2/21!
I absolutely love re-creating childhood favorites and giving them a Whole30/real food spin! Sloppy Joes used to be one of my favorite things when I was little. The sweet and savory combination of hearty meat & sauce served on a nice soft bun was just TOO GOOD. Turns out it’s still pretty good when you remove the crap ingredients and serve it with some nutrient dense veggies, too! I like these homemade sloppy joes because it is a simple ground beef recipe that uses ingredients that you most likely already have in your fridge and pantry. These sloppy joes are also so EASY to make, and you’ll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
This Whole30 sloppy Joes recipe is also a great meal for this crazy back to school season we are about to enter. It comes together in 30 minutes or less, so you can easily make it on busy weeknights.
You can feel free to get creative with this recipe. Serve them like I did here with some spaghetti squash and roasted broccoli, or you can omit the squash (or add zoodles) for Keto. You can also serve this over regular or gluten free pasta (but obviously it will no longer be Whole30 friendly.) Jovial Foods gluten free or grain free pasta is my favorite. Basically what I’m saying is that you can choose your own adventure! You can’t go wrong with these Paleo Sloppy Joes!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Ingredients do I need to make these Healthy Sloppy Joes in a Bowl?
- Ground beef
- Red onion
- tomato paste
- tomato or marinara sauce – I like to get Rao’s Homemade brand from Costco.
- coconut aminos
- dijon mustard
- hot sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- 1 large spaghetti squash or two smaller ones
- 16 oz package broccoli florets
That’s it! You probably have most of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry already.
How do you bake spaghetti squash?
This is my tried and true method for making spaghetti squash in the oven. It always turned out perfect without being overcooked or mushy. You can use an Instant Pot or another method if you want – totally up to you!
I cut the squash in half horizontally (not long ways as it’s traditionally cut), and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for 35 minutes. That’s it!
How do I roast the broccoli?
For the broccoli, I tossed 16 oz of florets with 1 tbsp olive oil + some sea salt and pepper. Use your fingertips to rub the oil into the florets. Spread out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 415 for 12 minutes. Perfect every time!
Can I use another type of meat?
You can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef, if you would like! All three work well in this easy sloppy joes recipe. I prefer to get all of my meat from Butcher Box. They deliver grass-fed, grass-finished beef, organic chicken, and heritage breed pork (and ground turkey) right to your doorstep! Click here to get their current offer!
Are These Sloppy Joes Keto Friendly?
Yes! These have just 25 carbs per serving. You could also serve over a lower carb veggie like zucchini noodles or hearts of palm pasta, if you prefer.
Can I freeze sloppy joe meat?
Yes! But only freeze the Sloppy Joe meat portion – not the spaghetti squash or the broccoli. You can make those whenever you’re ready to serve the sloppy joes!
What other recipes can I make with ground beef or ground pork?
Looking for some other easy recipes using ground beef and pork? Check out my Unstuffed Pepper Skillet, Unstuffed Cabbage Soup, or Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole!
Ok, let’s get cookin’! I hope you love this homemade sloppy joes recipe!
*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Mary’s Whole Life!
Recipe by Mary’s Whole Life, Photos by Casey Colodny with The Mindful Hapa.
Whole30 Sloppy Joe Bowls
Ingredients
Sloppy Joes
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 lb grassfed ground beef
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- â…” cup compliant tomato or marinara sauce , I like Rao's Homemade
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Spaghetti Squash
- 1 large spaghetti squash
Broccoli
- 1 16 oz package broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 400. Cut a large spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at for 35 minutes. Use a fork to remove the spaghetti strands and serve with the Sloppy Joe mixture and broccoli.
Sloppy Joes
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in onion and garlic. Saute for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add in ground beef and stir until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in remaining Sloppy Joe ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.
Roasted Broccoli
- Mix the florets, oil, and salt well with your hands. Spread out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and add to the oven when the squash has about 13-14 minutes left. Serve with the Sloppy Joe mixture and squash! Enjoy!
97 Comments on “Whole30 Sloppy Joes In A Bowl (Paleo, Gluten Free)”
This was totally amazing! My first time having spaghetti squash and loved it. I have to admit, since your advice was great about cutting the squash, I will never try it the other way. LOL
Thanks for this delicious recipe. Can’t wait to try others.
Let me preface with the fact that I have a reputation for not following recipes. This was great. I did sub turkey because I needed to use it and it was already defrosted. I also had a huge beet from my farm box that I needed to use so I grated it as I thought the sweetness would work well in sloppy Joe’s . The flavors in this is great!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! We love it so much, we have started making it 3 lbs at a time and freezing it in 1 lb portions so that it’s a quick and easy grab when we have a busy week.
So so so good! My husband is a Manwich lover and he said this is better! #win I skipped the onion and garlic to make it low FODMAP and it was still delicious. Will definitely make again
Thanks, Melanie! So glad to hear it was still good as low FODMAP!
Absolutely THE BEST whole30 sloppy joe recipe! It’s got that tanginess that I love in a good sloppy joe and have been missing. I did reduce the spiciness (my husband doesn’t like too much) and it was still amazing!
Hi Lyndsie! Thanks so much – glad you enjoyed it!!
Such a great spin on some basic ingredients! It was a delightful surprise. These are in regular rotation in my meal prep now.
I made this for my family last night for supper and it was soooo delicious! My 19 year old son was disappointed there wasn’t enough for seconds! Next time I make it, it’s going to be a double batch!!! I can’t wait!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us!
Thank you Lisa! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This is my second time making your recipe and me and my family love it! It is very easy and makes plenty for three people. There were also leftovers. The only thing I changed was a little less hot sauce since my son doesn’t like spicy stuff (-: Thank you for sharing!
Hi Pattie! Thank you so much – glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Hi, do you have nutrition information for this recipe? It was SO GOOD by the way!! Also, I apologize if i’ve overlooked it on your website somewhere.
Hi Amanda- I don’t have nutrition info on my site yet but hope to by summertime!
Made this tonight for my husband and 3 kids (a teenager and 2 pre-teens) and they LOVED it. My 14 year old son said this is 100% delicious and that I need to make it again soon, my husband agreed. I doubled the recipe and there was maybe 1 serving leftover. I was worried the kids would notice/complain about the hot sauce, but they didn’t utter a word. Mary, trying your recipes is always a safe bet and I thank you for the ease and flavor they bring.
Thank you Darra! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Just made this tonight, it was a hit!! Definitely keeping this recipe!
Thanks so much Kristen!
Made this tonight. It was delicious! Thank you for posting!
Hi Teresa! Thank you so much – glad you enjoyed it!
Outstanding! I just made the sloppy Joe portion of the recipe and when I started I realized I didn’t have the marina sauce, so I made my own from tomato paste, water, garlic, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar. Added it in with the rest and it turned out great! My kids thought it was too spicy so might leave out the hot sauce or red pepper flakes next time. I made spaghetti squash with it in the instapot and green beans as my kids are currently boycotting broccoli 🤔
Yay! so glad you all liked it!! Thanks Beth 🙂
Absolutely delicious!! So easy to make! Going in our dinner rotation!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Rebecca!
This was absolutely incredible! I was sceptical looking at the ingredients but it turned out amazing! I have been scared of spaghetti squash for years but it was super easy and my whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Image this recipe for my family tonight and it was amazing! Thanks for putting this together, I have a hard time sticking to recioes but for some reason I followed yours to a T and I’m so glad I did! Definitely going to try more of your recipes:)
Hi Mindy! I’m so glad it was easy for you to make and that you all enjoyed it!
SO SO SO good! I’m sad I waited this long to make it!! Going in the weekly rotation for a long while!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Kristie!
This was soooo good!!! I loved it so much that I had it for breakfast the next day. This is definitely going on my dinner rotation. Yum!!
Thanks for the nice comment! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Wow wow wow!!! This was amazing! I don’t follow Whole30 but I never turn down a healthy, delicious looking recipe and this did NOT disappoint! Even my husband who HATES spaghetti squash ate it to oohs and aahs. We will definitely be repeating this one in our house! Thank you!
*I followed the recipe exactly except I used ground turkey instead of beef.
Hi Shayla! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Can I this be used at meal prep? Like will it last 4 days
Yes it will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days in the fridge.
I have never thought of making a bowl of sloppy joes, but it seems like it would be delicious! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I personally love them 🙂