This homemade sloppy joe recipe without ketchup is one of my children's favorite recipes - I like it too! I love it because it is so versatile and easy to make either on the stovetop, slow cooker or Instant Pot * and freezes wonderfully.
I have to make sure to always have some on hand in my freezer or my children start complaining there is nothing to eat. I never really liked sloppy joes when I was growing up.
There was something about the packet of seasoning my mom used that I didn't like. I think they were overly sweet to try to cover up the weird, fake seasonings. But one day my daughter had dinner at her friend's house and they had sloppy joes and my daughter decided they were her new favorite food.
So I set out to create my own recipe that was good, healthy and easy. It's pretty much just my homemade BBQ sauce with a few modifications over ground beef with onions and green pepper.
Sometimes I chop my veggies and put them in but sometimes I just blend them up so the flavor is infused in every bite and picky children can't pick out the green peppers, etc.
My favorite way to cook them is in the slow cooker but they can also be done in the Instant Pot * or on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- Ground beef - this can easily be subbed with ground turkey or you can do a mix of part beef and part ground turkey. I actually love this combo because the turkey has good flavor but can be dry on its own.
- Tomatoes - when are in season, I take fresh tomatoes from my garden, take out the stems then freeze them. When I have enough tomatoes either for a recipe like this or enough to fill a huge pot, I set them on the counter until they are about half unthawed then blend them whole in my Vitamix *, skins and all. Then thicken them up and get rich flavor out of them, they need to be cooked down so if I am going to use them in a recipe like this, I either use them fresh and cook the sloppy joes for a few hours so the sauce gets nice and thick, or I grab blended tomatoes from my freezer that have already been cooked down. You really can't beat the flavor, but if this isn't an option for you, canned tomatoes will work just fine.
- I use the combo of balsamic vinegar and real maple syrup * in a lot of my recipes. I love the tangy, sweet flavor and it is so much healthier than other options.
- Ground mustard - I don't know what it is about ground mustard but it is just good. I really do like the flavor better than prepared mustard but either one will work.
How to make these on the stovetop
Time needed: 40 minutes
They really are so simple to make and taste so good. My children always get excited when I make them and are sad if there aren't any in our freezer.
- Cook the meat
In a large skillet, crumble and cook the ground beef until brown.
- Prep
Blend the tomatoes, whether canned or fresh and dice the onions and bell pepper if you are going to use them (I rarely do).
- Add ingredients
Add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet. The balsamic vinegar gives it some sweet, tart flavor, and the real maple syrup * gives deep, rich sweetness
- Cook
Let the meat sauce cook until they are how you like them. Cook them for less time if you l like them thinner and runnier or longer if you prefer them thicker with a little more flavor.
- Serve
Serve on buns of your choice. It really is that simple.
How to store and freeze
This is one of my very favorite freezer meals. I usually double the recipe and put the leftovers in 8-ounce freezer containers *. Then we can take them out and reheat them in either the microwave or stovetop anytime we want sloppy joes.
I have saved so much time and money freezing them. And there is no flavor or texture difference that I notice. They also don't take up much room since you can stack the containers and you are only freezing the meat and not the buns.
What to serve with them
As you can see in the photos, sweet potato fries are my favorite thing to serve with them. I also love them with coleslaw and maybe some chips of some kind.
Recipe
Healthy, Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe Without Ketchup
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dinnner
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are one of my children's favorite recipes - I like them too! I love them because they are so versatile and easy to make either on the stovetop, slow cooker or Instant Pot * and they freeze wonderfully. I have to make sure to always have some on hand in my freezer or my children start complaining there is nothing to eat. {Gluten-Free, Clean Eating, Dairy-Free}
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 2 15 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes, blended (or 4 cups fresh or frozen blended tomatoes - see note)
- ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ⅓ Cup Pure Maple Syrup *
- 2 tsp Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp Real Salt *
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 White Onion, chopped (optional)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method
- In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground beef. Add the beef to a slow cooker (or see my notes for how I usually cook the ground beef).
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, stir well, and heat on high for 2 hours (or more for richer flavor).
- Serve on buns of your choice.
Stovetop Method
- In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground beef.
- If you are going to add the onion and/or bell pepper, add them when the ground beef is about half cooked.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet, stir well, and heat until they are cooked how you like them (20 minutes to two hours).
- Serve on buns of your choice.
Instant Pot Method
- Add the ground beef to the Instant Pot * and cook on "Saute" and brown and crumble the ground beef.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion and green pepper and add it to the Instant Pot and cook it until the onion and pepper are soft and translucent and the ground beef is fully browned and crumbled.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot, stir well, and cook on "Meat" (15 minutes plus the time to get to pressure.)
- Serve on buns of your choice.
Notes
- I often start with frozen ground beef and don't feel like unthawing it in the microwave and watching it while it browns so I'll just put the frozen ground beef hunk in the crockpot and let it cook for about two hours until it is cooked but still in one piece. Then I skim off all the foam and drain out most of the fat then chop the ground beef up right in the slow cooker. Then I add the extra ingredients after that. It takes more time overall but less work, especially at the beginning of the day when I'm extra busy with my children. I also think it makes the ground beef extra tender.
- The amount of tomatoes is approximate because there is a huge variety in the water content from different brands and variety of tomatoes. Fresh are always more watery too. Since I often have really watery tomatoes (beefsteak) One thing I do before freezing my tomatoes is blend them all up in a high speed blender like a Vitamix *, only cutting out the stem and leaving the skins on. Then I put them in a slow cooker or on the stovetop and let them cook until they have reduced in volume by about half. Then I freeze them in 17-ounce containers. This way they take up a lot less room in the freezer but they also get to be the consistency of tomato sauce so they are ready to add to recipes like these sloppy joes, pizza or spaghetti sauce.
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Ellie Rose
I make these all the time because my kids beg for them and they are so easy to make.