Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (2024)

Rebecca Baron 26 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This is a really good crock pot Paleo sloppy joes recipe which is made from scratch without the high fructose corn sugar and other nasty ingredients. These Paleo Sloppy Joes were SO good. How can they not be? I mean, they have BACON! I was really surprised by how much the whole family loved these sloppy joes. We only had half a serving left and I devoured it for lunch. The leftover filling was so good served on top of the sweet potatoes for lunch.

I really like the contrast of the strong flavor of the20-Minute Paleo BBQ Sauce Recipewith the plainPaleo Hamburger Buns Recipe. One of the nice things about these sloppy joes and that I've served them lots of times to my family that thinks I'm weird for eating Paleo and they could care less they are Paleo.

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (1)

Basically, they are just homemade and they are way better than the sloppy joes I grew up eating that sauce my mom made from a packet. I hated those. I'm actually kind of surprised that I even attempted to make homemade sloppy joes, but my daughter had them at a friend's house one night and loved them, so I thought I would give it a try. Boy! I'm glad I did. These are a staple now at our house.

I'm often too lazy to make the Paleo hamburger buns, so I'll just eat it out of the bowl plain with veggies or on a baked sweet potato and let my children use some whole wheat bread to eat with them. Or I serve them at a family party with "real" hamburger buns.

The homemade sauce tastes so much better than the canned stuff and it's easy to make. I like to blend up the onion and pepper so my kids don't know they are in there, but you still get the flavor from them.

This took a little bit longer to make all of the different parts but it was nice because I already the sauce made and the buns don't have to cook very long. I served the these with roasted Perfect, Baked Paleo Sweet Potato Fries Recipe.

This is a great recipe for the summertime! It doesn't get better than a "gooey messy burger." I also might eat ourCurried, Baked Keto Zucchini Chips Recipewith this recipe or a simple fruit or vegetable on the side to supplement the sloppy joe.

Can you freeze these?

This is a good example of a freezer recipe we make often in our house. How I do it is I use four pounds of 80% ground beef and one pound of ground turkey meat. I just put it straight in the slow cooker without unthawing it first (if the meat was frozen) and put it in a big hunk. I put it on high and let it cook for two hours or so and then scoop out all the fat at once with a large spoon or ladle.

Then the meat is ready to break up. Since it is mostly cooked when I do it, I usually only have to break it upabout two times. Once the meat is cooked I add the rest of the ingredients. To save money I buy the #10 cans of tomatoes from Costco for like $3 and blend them real quick in the blender because I want the tomatoes to be really smooth like how sloppy joes traditionally are.

If I have any leftover tomato "sauce" I put it in 2 cup containers and then the next time a recipe calls for a can of tomatoes, I pulla container from my fridge. Or, more often I use it for pizzaand just use some and put it back in the freezer. You could easily spend $10 on that many tomatoes otherwise and this way there is no waste. I still can't believe it's that cheap for that many cannedtomatoes at Costco!

Then we eat fresh that night and freeze the leftovers in individual containers after it has cooled down. My children and even I love to pull a serving out and eat it for lunch or dinner when we are in a hurry.

If I am making the Paleo buns with this recipe I usually make them fresh or refrigerate them for a day or two. Then my meal really tastes fresh. Sometimes I will buy "regular" buns or rolls from the store for my children and leave them in the fridge if I think they will be eaten in the next two weeks to add to them. One of my children prefers to eat just the meat and doesn't want a bun at all.

I still haven't tried to freeze sweet potato fries so let me know if you have tried that but I love to fill my oven with sweet potatoes and bake a bunch all at the same time, put them on the counter to cool then scoop them out with a spoon, put them in a bowl and mash them real quick with a fork before I put them in individual freezer containers.

I'm not much of a bun person so my favorite thing to do is pull out a serving of sweet potatoes and top them with a serving of sloppy joes. It tastes the same as when I cooked the food fresh aka it tastes like I cooked it all day. It's good enough I would serve it for company. Seriously.

I would love to know if you make these and what you think. Please comment below and let me know!

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (2)

Print

Recipe

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (3)

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe

★★★★★5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Rebecca Baron
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Total Time: 135 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Paleo
Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Description

This homemade sloppy joe sauce tastes so much better than the canned stuff and it's easy to make. I like to blend up the onion and pepper so my kids don't know they are in there, but you still get the flavor from them.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 pounds Ground Beef
  • 12 ounces Bacon (sliced into ½" pieces)
  • 1 Onion (diced)
  • 1 Bell Pepper (diced)
  • Paleo BBQ Sauce
  • Paleo Buns

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground beef. Add the beef to a slow cooker.
  2. Add the diced bacon to the same pan the beef was cooked in (no need to wash) and cook until it is just starting to brown.
  3. Add the onion and green pepper to the bacon and saute until the bacon is fully cooked, and the onion and pepper are soft and translucent. Add the bacon, onion, and pepper to the slow cooker.
  4. Add the BBQ sauce ingredients to the slow cooker, stir well, and heat on low for 2 hours.
  5. Serve on my Paleo buns.

Keywords: Savory, Healthy, Homemade, Easy

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (4)

You may also like...

  • Paleo Dinner Recipes Index - Plus Reader Suggestions
  • Pork Crock Pot Chili Verde Recipe
  • Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes That Will Simplify Your Life
  • Zucchini Crock Pot Paleo Lasagna Recipe
  • 9 Paleo Ground Beef Recipes for Quick, Inexpensive Meals
  • Healthy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
  • Paleo Slow Cooker Pork Roast Recipe with Chimichurri Sauce
  • The Best Ever Paleo Beef Stew Slow Cooker Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melinda S

    This was amazing, my whole family loved it! I accidentally used red wine vinegar instead of balsamic but I'm going to stick with it since it was a hit. 🙂

    Reply

    • Rebecca Baron

      Interesting. I would have never thought of red wine vinegar. I'm glad you liked it!

      Reply

  2. Donner

    Love the blender idea!

    Reply

  3. Ushmana Palmo Rai

    Bacon and ground beef? Sloppy Joes? YUM!
    Very mouthwatering and with so much less ingredients! Boy, am I lucky to have found your blog! Keep sharing more!xx

    Reply

  4. Shannon Cotsworth

    I used turkey bacon and turkey meat instead. This was amazing and easy to do. My fiancé even loved it. We used tortilla instead of bread. Amazing. This is going to be a big hit at my next work pot luck.

    Reply

  5. Trish

    Hi, I'm looking to do some make ahead meals. Have you tried freezing this? i would imagine it would be fine.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  6. Stef

    I made these tonight and they were awesome. Does anyone know the fat, fiber, protein, and carbs info for this recipe for weight watchers??

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      I am sorry we don't provide the information for our recipes at this time.

      Reply

  7. Christina

    Do yo have a recipe for the paleo buns you could share? I'd love to try these!!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      There is a link on the recipe but here it is also, https://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/paleo-hamburger-buns/

      Reply

      • Christina

        I must have missed the link when I look at it....thank you!!

        Reply

  8. Holiday

    Hi Rebecca. I'm making your sloppy joes tonight, and I'm wondering if I need to make the bbq sauce separately and then add it to the crockpot, or should I just put the individual ingredients for the sauce in the crockpot and cook that way?

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      You can totally just mix it all together, nice and easy.

      Reply

      • Holiday

        We had the sloppy joes last night and they were DEILISH! I've made three of your recipes now, and loved them all. Thank you for sharing!

        Reply

        • Rebecca

          I'm glad you like them! I make them a lot for my family, especially for parties. I think I'm going to make them for my Halloween night party so when we get back from Trick or Treating, dinner will be ready to go and my husband can eat it while he stays at home to answer the door.

          Reply

  9. Lori R

    You mention for the BBQ sauce used with the Sloppy Joes to "Increase the lemon juice to 1 TBL". However, when I click the link for the BBQ sauce recipe, it doesn't have any lemon juice. So what is the correct amount of lemon juice?
    You also mention to "Omit the 2 spice blends from the BBQ sauce recipe, but again the BBQ sauce recipe doesn't have any spice "blends". I only see onion powder and smoked paprika in the sauce recipe. So do we just omit the onion powder and use the garlic powder in its place and just use less of the paprika?

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Thanks for letting me know and sorry for the confusion, we recently improved our BBQ sauce and so we forgot to remove that. For the Sloppy Joes make the BBQ sauce exactly how it is now shown. 🙂

      Reply

      • Lori R

        Thanks for clearing that up. I look forward to trying this. My daughter's favorite meal is sloppy joes, but I haven't made them since going paleo due to the brown sugar previously used.

        Reply

  10. lorraine

    how much of the Paleo barbeque sauce is used in the recipe? Thx

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      For this recipe we make one batch of our Paleo BBQ Sauce: https://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/paleo-bbq-sauce/ and put it with this recipe. One to one ratio. 🙂 Hope that helps

      Reply

  11. Shannon Cotsworth

    I used turkey bacon and turkey meat instead. This was amazing and easy to do. My fiancé even loved it. We used tortilla instead of bread. Amazing. This is going to be a big hit at my next work pot luck.

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      It really is good and easy, huh? I can't figure out why you would need to buy a packet or use something from a can. This recipe is so good and easy and healthy!

      Reply

    • Rebecca

      Thanks for the great tip!

      Reply

  12. Richard Kohout

    What do you mean when you say 'blended' for the peppers and onions. Do you actually put them in a blender (would think they turn into mush that way)? Or are they just to be finely diced?
    Thanks,

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Yes. I just blend them in the blender so it's like a sauce. You get lots of flavor and the kids don't see chunks. They just like the flavor.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Crock Pot Paleo Sloppy Joes Recipe {Clean Eating} - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put baking soda in sloppy joes? ›

Why Use These for Sloppy Joes? Baking soda helps keep the ground beef moist and tender, and incorporating baking soda into the finely chopped onion causes the onion to soften rapidly so it nearly melts into the sauce.

How do you make sloppy joes less acidic? ›

Honey. Sloppy joe sauce must have a bit of sweetness added to balance the flavors and acidity in the tomato sauce. I use honey, but brown sugar, maple syrup, or molasses would be a great substitute.

How long to reheat sloppy joes in crock pot? ›

Slow cooker: To reheat your Crock Pot Sloppy Joes from the refrigerator, place the ceramic insert back into your slow cooker and heat on low for 1-2 hours. Stove: Alternatively, you can reheat large batches on the stove over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is heated through to 165 degrees F.

How do you reheat Sloppy Joe meat? ›

The best way to reheat Sloppy Joe's is on the stove. Simmer the meat over low heat until warmed through, then pile onto freshly toasted buns! On that note, always store the Sloppy Joe meat and buns separately. Assembled sandwiches will get soggy if you try to save them for later.

What happens to meat when you add baking soda? ›

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

What effect does baking soda have on ground beef? ›

According to America's Test Kitchen, mixing raw ground beef with a little baking soda changes its pH, which in turn makes it harder for its proteins to form a bond as the meat cooks. Without the help of baking soda, proteins in meat are attracted to one another and squeeze out juices as the meat cooks.

What can I add to Sloppy Joe to make it taste better? ›

Add Veggies: Diced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or shredded carrot, can easily be added to this recipe and your kids won't even notice a difference. Hawaiian Sloppy Joes: Substitute more BBQ sauce for the ketchup and add 8 oz., drained crushed pineapple.

What neutralizes acidic food? ›

Incorporate high-alkaline foods into high-acid foods, as the alkalinity reduces the acidity. For example, to reduce acids in meat or fish casseroles, add peas, carrots or eggs, which are alkaline. Reduce the phytic acid in legumes and beans by soaking the beans in hot water overnight before cooking.

How do you thicken sloppy joes without cornstarch or flour? ›

Potato flakes may come out a little grainy. However mashed potatoes could be used for better texture. Use oats to thicken sloppy-joes as to absorb the excess but it will be thicker the next day. Barley can be used but is more expensive.

Can you leave food in crockpot on warm all day? ›

Don't leave it on 'warm' all day

Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.

Can you make sloppy joes in the crockpot? ›

Plus, to the great relief of all parents who've experienced the mysterious accuracy of the “witching hour,” you can make them in the slow cooker! With just 15 minutes of prep, you can have these homemade sloppy joes in the crock pot and ready for you just in time to beat the dinner-time whinge.

Can you leave food in crock pot overnight? ›

On some occasions, you'll want to leave food in the slow cooker to keep warm, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, for example, or any other event or holiday. While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours.

Can you eat sloppy joe left out overnight? ›

If you reheat food that was forgotten on the counter overnight or was left out all day, will it be safe to eat? TWO HOURS is the MAXIMUM time perishable foods should be at room temperature (ONE HOUR at temperatures 90 degrees F and higher). This INCLUDES the time they're on the table during your meal.

Can you leave sloppy joes out overnight? ›

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours. If the temperature outside (or inside your house) is 90°F or above, you should cut that time in half.

Can you reheat sloppy joes twice? ›

Kitchen Fact: While food can be safely reheated multiple times, the quality decreases each time. Reheat only what you plan to eat. As long as you reheat the leftovers to at least 165°F each time, the food's technically safe to eat.

Why do you put baking soda in beef? ›

Baking Soda is an Easy Meat Tenderizer

Baking soda helps prevent ground beef from drying out, allowing those burger patties to keep their moisture and brown quicker for the most flavorful cookout. Not to mention, baking soda is the ideal ingredient for getting the most out of your Thanksgiving bird.

What is the purpose of adding baking soda to food? ›

Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents, which are substances used to help baked goods rise.

Does baking soda reduce a sour taste? ›

In some recipes, baking soda also works as an additive that will get rid of some sourness. This tip mostly works in sauces and soups, where it can be fully incorporated into the other ingredients.

How do you make Sloppy Joes taste better? ›

Try serving your sloppy joes with their own toppings such as slaw, melty cheese, grilled pineapple, or Hatch green chile. Even just adding a pickle gives extra flavor and crunch, transforming it from a bland sandwich into something great, like the recipe below!

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Maia Crooks Jr

Last Updated:

Views: 6199

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Maia Crooks Jr

Birthday: 1997-09-21

Address: 93119 Joseph Street, Peggyfurt, NC 11582

Phone: +2983088926881

Job: Principal Design Liaison

Hobby: Web surfing, Skiing, role-playing games, Sketching, Polo, Sewing, Genealogy

Introduction: My name is Maia Crooks Jr, I am a homely, joyous, shiny, successful, hilarious, thoughtful, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.