This Whole 30 version of Sloppy Joe is good enough to turn the biggest hater. Growing up I was never a fan of Sloppy Joe’s. Something about all the mess, the soggy bun, just nothing really was appealing to me.
I recently tried to give food – much like Sloppy Joe’s – that I wasn’t a fan of growing up another chance. It is really crazy how much your taste buds change as you grow up. It’s even crazier how your taste buds change after doing a Whole 30 or switching to a whole foods based diet.
This was one of the first dishes I made for my boyfriend. He meal prepped it for his lunches for NO LIE 8 weeks straight! It is so easy to make in a large enough batch that will last all week. It’s also super budget friendly. Just bulk the dish up with cheaper in season veggies such as zucchini or squash.
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey or ground beef
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 small zucchini, diced (optional)
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
6 oz of tomato paste
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of crushed red pepper
1 tbsp of olive or avocado oil
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of fennel seeds
Pair with sweet potatoes, zucchini noodles, russet potatoes, or even a bun if you tolerate gluten!
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large pan
- Heat oil in a large pan
- Add onion and allow it to cook until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes)
- Add ground meat and spices and let brown (about 4 minutes)
- Add diced green and red pepper, diced zucchini, and diced tomatoes
- Let all cook together for about 5 minutes. There should be a decent amount of liquid in the pan at this point
- Add the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and tomato paste and mix it into the dish, distributing evenly
- Don’t be hesitant to add more Dijon or apple cider vinegar if you like yours extra tangy.