Sloppy Joe Potatoes (Paleo and Whole30)
[I put a little twist on a messy classic with these Sloppy Joe Potatoes I made for Earth Fare!]
Grass-fed ground beef strikes again.
All I can say is that it’s a staple in my house, and it’s kind of amazing in these sloppy joes 😋
(By the way, my favorite part of testing this recipe was explaining what sloppy joes were to K. “It’s an American classic babe!” 😂 Even funnier when he later referred to them as “sloppy jims.”) 
Giving a classic a healthy spin.
We’re not stepping anywhere near a can of Manwich.
Nope.
These sloppy joes are surprisingly easy to make from scratch! And the first little upgrade is adding some veggies — diced onion and red bell pepper.
For the sauce
I wanted to capture the flavor and feel of sloppy joe sauce with as few (healthy) ingredients as possible.
So I stuck with:
- tomato paste
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- yellow mustard
- coconut aminos
And really, that’s all you need (plus a little chicken broth to get everything mixed together.)
But if you want that sheeny, saucey feel, you can do like I did and add in a bit of arrowroot starch.
What is arrowroot starch?
Arrowroot starch (or flour) is a grain free, paleo-friendly, gluten free thickener and emulsifier.
It comes from the root of the arrowroot plant, a large periennal herb, and can be used one-for-one in place of cornstarch in your recipes.
(Using arrowroot starch keeps this recipe paleo and Whole30 friendly. If you’d prefer to use cornstarch, feel free! Or if you want to leave the thickener out all together, the sloppy joes still turn out delicous 👍)
Assembling these bad boys
Ok. Ok.
Ok.
This is simple and also hugely delicious.
You’re going to take that sloppy joe mix and stuff it right on into a baked potato.
Then, top with some coleslaw (optional but recommend by moi.)
Warm, fluffy potato. Tangy, saucey sloppy joe. Creamy, crunchy coleslaw. Mmmmmkay, yes. 🗸🗸🗸
And some veggies, because we know those are the most important things on our plate:
A quick spinach salad and some creamy 🥑
(If you do cheese, some shredded cheddar on here would also be pretty 👌 – I mean I know that’s not a veggie, but you know what I mean.)
Stick a fork in it. These sloppy joe potatoes are READY!
Ingredients
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- ½ of a yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 small can organic tomato paste (6 ounces, or 170 grams)
- About 1 and ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- ¼ cup Coconut Aminos
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon arrowroot starch*
- ¼ cup water
- Olive oil
- 4 russet potatoes, baked or microwaved
To Serve
- Coleslaw
- Chives
- Avocado
- Pickles or pickled jalapenos
Instructions
Cook potatoes
- Bake for 45 minutes in a 425 degree oven, or microwave for 5-7 minutes, until tender.
Make the Sloppy Joes
- Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium high heat. Once browned, add a dash of salt and transfer to another dish and reserve.
- To the same pan, add olive oil, chopped onions, and a dash of salt. Sauté for 3- 4 minutes. Add chopped red bell pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, 1 cup of the chicken broth, yellow mustard, Coconut Aminos, garlic powder, and chili powder. Stir to combine and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
- After the sauce has reduced slightly, add the cooked ground beef and stir to combine. Cook on low for another 5 minutes, tasting and adjusting seasoning as needed.
- Add the arrowroot starch to a small dish with about ¼ cup of water and stir to form a slurry. Add the mixture to the Sloppy Joes along with an additional ¼ cup – ½ cup of chicken broth. Cook for another 2 minutes or so until sauce is thick and glistening.
Serve
- Top each potato with the Sloppy Joe mixture and serve with coleslaw, chives, pickles, pickled jalapenos, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
* Arrowroot starch is an alternative to cornstarch. You can sub cornstarch, if you prefer, or leave it out entirely. It helps the sauce thicken, but the recipe will still be delicious without it.
These sloppy joes are great as leftovers throughout the week!
5 responses to “Sloppy Joe Potatoes (Paleo and Whole30)”
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Nice! I think I’ll make this with chopped potatoes for my granddaughter. She’d love it! Have to see about coconut aminos – that’s a new one for me.
Hope you love it!
Everything about this recipe rings my bell. I used coconut aminos in the tahini-citrus dressing and I love that. I made the full recipe of that so I got to try it a lot of ways. I’m making chili today with beans so I’ll use it again. I’ll look in your recipes for the chili. Meantime, i cant wait to try these “Joes”. Thanks, Allyson!
Made this yesterday and they turned out so well! It really brought back childhood memories.
Yay! That’s so great to hear 🙂 Glad you liked them!