Ground beef with hidden veggies is mixed with a low-sugar, ketchup-based sauce for a crowd-pleasing Sloppy Joes meal that is a home run winner any and every night of the week. 

Make a weeknight better than average with this Healthier Sloppy Joes Bowl recipe. It’s a childhood classic dressed up for adults but still captures the same goodness from our memories. 

I’ve made a few adjustments to the tried-and-true recipe — and of course, it’s gluten-free and dairy-free! 

In addition to Sloppy Joes being representative of my childhood and school lunches, it’s also incredibly simple to make AND protein-packed! 

Ground beef is cooked in a pan alongside chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery.

A lower-sugar ketchup-based sauce is added to give it that irresistible taste and texture. 

While you could definitely serve this in a hamburger-style bun, I like to make this a bowl meal (what’s better than eating a loaded bowl for dinner, right?). 

Roasted sweet potatoes, butter lettuce, pickled red onions, and dill pickles give the added crunch and nutrients too!

Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like to serve up your Sloppy Joes… Enjoy!

Key Ingredients for Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Sloppy Joes

While I’d like to think that the school cafeteria used these types of high-quality ingredients during my middle school days, I’m probably just reaching for the stars. Fortunately, my revised version is healthy and still just as delicious. 

• Ground Beef: Look for grass-fed, grass-fed organic beef whenever possible. The higher the quality, the more nutrients you’re getting! 
• Veggies: A blend of chopped veggies adds flavor and texture to the beef mixture. This is a great way to sneak in veggies for picky young eaters too! 
• Ketchup: Low-sugar varieties, such as @primalkitchenfoods organic unsweetened ketchup, mean that you’re in control of what added sugars you’re intaking.

• Coconut Sugar: Using a natural sweetener, like coconut sugar, won’t spike your blood sugar as much as refined white sugar. 
• Worcestershire Sauce: That little something extra that you can’t taste outright, but something feels like it’s missing without it. 
• Apple Cider Vinegar: A bit of tang to counterbalance the sweet. 
• For Serving: Roasted sweet potatoes (recipe below), chopped butter lettuce, pickled red onions, and cute dill pickle “coins” are my go-to accompaniments for this loaded bowl. Make your bowl as you see fit…Nobody is judging you!  

How to Make Sloppy Joes Bowls 

To begin, go ahead and make the roasted sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 

Add the sweet potato rounds to a bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of avocado oil and season with salt and pepper.

Add the potato slices to a sheet pan in a single layer and roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting, you can start on the Sloppy Joes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up as you go with a wooden spatula. 

Once the beef is cooked through, drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat. 

Add the chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper, and season with about 1 teaspoon of salt.

Continue cooking until the ground beef begins to stick to the pan a bit, about 5 to 7 minutes.

While the meat and veggies cook, make the sauce.

Whisk together the ketchup, tomato paste, lemon juice, coconut sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and salt.

Add the sauce and beef stock to the ground beef, letting the beef stock deglaze the pan and scraping up any brown bits.

Allow the mixture to thicken and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

When ready to eat, serve the Sloppy Joes in a bowl with butter lettuce, pickled red onions, pickles, and roasted sweet potatoes. Enjoy!

Other Loaded Protein Bowls: 

• Slow Cooker Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
• Marinated Steak Fajita Bowls
• Loaded Greek Chicken Bowl with Dairy-Free Tzatziki
• Chicken Power Bowls with Tahini Sauce