Who says you can’t eat all the comfort foods we grew up on, while on a keto diet? Don’t believe them! These low-carb sloppy Joes rival anything mom made! Keto, paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, low-carb.
Comfort foods have always been one of my favorite meals, whenever a bit of stress or overwhelm crop up. I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say that my mom used to make some mean sloppy Joes when I was growing up.
Of course, back then, the stuff was filled with brown sugar and ketchup, which I’m not a fan of consuming these days. I’ve changed my diet around due to health issues, part of which includes eliminating pretty much all refined sugar.
So traditional sloppy Joes are off the table, but with just a few minor tweaks, they can be easily made low-carb and sugar-free!
Of course, this means that eating these sloppy Joes on a big ol’ bun is likely off the table. Luckily, there are other options though, like these delicious lettuce wraps!
If you’ve ever made sloppy Joes before, then you know how simple it really is, and this recipe is no different. There are just a few small tweaks on the traditional recipe, and then you’re pretty much good to go!
Start by dicing up a small onion and a green bell pepper. Add to a pan with some coconut oil, and heat until softened. For an extra sweet flavor, you can continue cooking until the onion caramelizes.
Once the onions and peppers are cooked to your liking, add in the ground beef, and cook until no longer pink. Add in the tomato paste, and a bit of water, and stir until well-combined.
Add as much water, a little at a time, as you feel necessary to achieve the right consistency. I added a few tablespoons, but you may need more or less, depending on the consistency of your tomato paste.
After the consistency is to your liking, add in some maple or molasses extract, and your favorite sugar-free sweetener, to taste. I added approximately 2 tablespoons of granulated erythritol, but I tend to keep my sweetener on the lower end.
If you’re looking for something that is as close as possible to a traditional tasting sloppy Joe, then you probably want to add more like 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of sweetener.
As the sloppy Joes are totally cooked at this point, simply add in enough to satisfy your tastebuds.
If you give these low-carb sloppy Joes a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
Low-Carb Sloppy Joes (Keto, Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 1 lb ground beef (16 oz)
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water or as needed to thin tomato paste
- splash of maple or molasses extract
- 2-4 tablespoons granulated erythritol or to taste
- 8-10 lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add in diced onion and green pepper and cook until soft.
- Add in ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
- Add in tomato paste, and enough water to thin it out. I added about 2 tablespoons, but you may need more or less depending on the consistency of your tomato paste.
- Add in maple or molasses extract and sweetener of choice, and mix. I added granular erythritol, which worked well.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before spooning into lettuce leaves.
