WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT OUR KETO SLOPPY JOES

Nothing says American comfort food better than a Sloppy Joe sandwich. Our Keto Low Carb Sloppy Joe recipe is a skillet dish loaded with fresh ingredients and spices, has just the right ratio of sweet to savory, and is ready to go in 30 minutes or less, and with only 4 net carbs per serving!

INGREDIENTS

Ground Beef – 80/20,  ground turkey, or ground chicken all work well.

Red Pepper – A flavor booster, and gives a little crunch to the meat sauce.

Onions – We use green onions, but any variety will work fine.

Garlic – A flavor enhancer.

Brown Sugar Substitute – Swerve, truvia, etc.

Mustard – Dijon or yellow

Red Pepper Flakes – optional; adds a spicy heat.

Tomato Paste – Infuses a bright, zesty flavor into the meat sauce.

Vinegar – apple cider (our favorite), white, red wine all all a unique and tart taste while balancing flavor.

Worcestershire Sauce – Flavor enhancer.

Salt and Pepper – to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown Meat: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground meat and break it up into large chunks. Let it cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes, Then break into small pieces until the meat is just browned..

Add: Diced red peppers, onions, and garlic. If you don’t have garlic and onion in the pantry, you can substitute the 1/4 cup onion for 1 teaspoon of onion powder, and the 2 cloves of fresh garlic for 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Continue cooking until the peppers and onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add: the rest of the ingredients: chili powder, brown sugar replacement, Dijon mustard, tomato paste, vinegar (we use apple cider for a little added zing, but any vinegar will do just fine), Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, the red pepper flakes (optional) and finally 1/2 cup of water.

Stir and Simmer: When mixture comes to a simmer, reduce heat to low and continue cooking, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until you’ve reached your preferred sauce consistency.

HOW TO SERVE KETO LOW CARB SLOPPY JOES

Spread the sloppy joe mixture into our Keto Low Carb Burger and Sandwich Buns for a combined total of 9 net carbs – 4 net carbs for the meat sauce, and 5 net carbs for our Low Carb buns. A regular white hamburger bun alone runs a good 25 net carbs. They’re simple to make, taste fantastic, and keep everything in place. If you’d rather skip the bun, tuck the meat mixture into a Mission low carb tortilla, or spoon in into a hollowed-out bell pepper or a lettuce cup.

HOW TO STORE SLOPPY JOE MEAT SAUCE

Store meat leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 3-4 months.

TIPS

If you haven’t discovered it yet, we bought an OXO Good Grips Ground Meat Chopper with 3 silicone blades to speed up the process of breaking up ground meat. It’s my new favorite kitchen gadget! We ordered one for Amy and it arrives today. Think she’ll love it.

To reach your preferred sauce consistency – 10 minutes of final simmering gave us a not-too-dry, not-too-wet sloppy joe. Add additional water if you prefer a sloppy joe with more sauce than meat. If you like a little sweeter flavor, add an additional tablespoon of brown sugar replacement for a total of 3,  which satisfies our sweet tooth and compliments the red pepper flakes nicely.