I thought I liked Manwhich, but being on the fairly strict diet I’m currently on, I’m not able to have a lot of the pre-made, convenience foods that I was used to. As a result, I’ve had to start making a lot more stuff “from scratch” (meaning not out of a box). One of the quick easy meals that the whole family used to be happy to eat was sloppy joes. But what happens when you don’t have a can handy or maybe you’re trying to adhere to a more clean eating diet plan? You make them yourself, from super healthy ingredients! It’s quick, its easy, and after having these, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to pre-made. It’s that good!
What You Need
1 lb 97% lean ground beef (or the leanest that’s available at your local market)
1 cup chopped onion
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste (no sugar added)
1/2 cup of water
4 packets of stevia (or splenda or whatever sugar substitute you have available)
1 TB apple cider vinegar
2 Tb yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
What You Do
Cook meat and onion, in pan. Once meat is thoroughly cooked, add remaining ingredients in one by one and heat through. You may add more water to get the consistency you like. This makes 4 servings so you can double the recipe as needed for larger families.
The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t taste “low calorie” so even if you or some of your family members aren’t dieting, you’re still going to love it. It’s also totally approved for most clean eating and low calorie diets so you can feel like you’re not really dieting even when you really are!
What’s your favorite “healthy” recipe that makes it feel like you’re cheating? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!
Tina @ My Highest Self says
May 7, 2014 at 7:51 amI will have to try this, I’ll admit I always use the can mix to make sloppy joes!
Amber says
May 7, 2014 at 8:10 amThank you so much for this! My kids love sloppy joes but we try eat clean too. I’m definitely going to give this a try!
Leslie says
May 7, 2014 at 8:22 amIt’s almost lunch time and I’m starving! Is love to have one of these. They are still one if my favorite go to’s.
Heather says
May 7, 2014 at 9:05 amI love that you use raw apple cider vinegar! (I get my meat from the Farmers Market – I will definitely try this recipe with the ground beef he gives me)!
kristyn says
May 7, 2014 at 10:39 ami haven’t had sloppy joe in forever omg i use to love it
tara pittman says
May 7, 2014 at 11:14 amI will try this with lentils as I dont eat meat. this sounds yummy
Ange says
May 7, 2014 at 2:12 pmMy husband is a huge Sloppy Joe fan, pinning for later!!
Chelsea says
May 7, 2014 at 4:16 pmMy boyfriend would love me even more if I made these, I’m pretty sure haha. Pinned!
April says
May 7, 2014 at 5:19 pmYum! Love easy cooking!!!
Justina says
May 8, 2014 at 8:58 amYummy! This looks delish!
Michelle F. says
May 8, 2014 at 10:22 amThat looks so easy to do. I love sloppy joes.
Esther says
May 8, 2014 at 2:15 pmI love Sloppy Joes but I have never tried to make it from scratch. This recipe looks delicious! I know my family would love to eat it! Thanks for sharing it!
Libby's Library says
May 9, 2014 at 4:39 pmSloppy Joes are a favorite at our house. I’ll be sure to try this recipe the next time they are on the menu!
Christy Garrett Parenting Tips says
May 13, 2014 at 12:39 pmThese sound yummy. I haven’t had sloppy joes in a long time. I saw a recipe a while back that you might find useful for this recipe too. Instead of using buns, grab two cans of the grands biscuits. Roll the biscuit dough flat. Put a few spoonfuls of sloppy job mix onto one side of the biscuit. Fold the remaining biscuit dough over the sloppy joe mix. Then use a fork to close the biscuit do so that you have a “pocket”. Then bake in the oven until the biscuits are golden brown.
This recipe is making me hungry and I might have to try this out next week.
Alison says
May 17, 2014 at 10:35 pmThat sounds like an awesome idea — anything in a “pocket” is like 10x better than the original right? This could even work for like an easy dinner in the camper or something. Thanks for the idea — will definitely have to try that one out!
Yona Williams says
May 27, 2014 at 10:35 amthanks for the recipe. I love Bragg products – they are so healthy.