Here’s an easy no-ketchup air fryer sloppy-joe stuffed potatoes recipe. Air fry the potatoes while you make the best sloppy joe filling. You'll never miss the hamburger buns in this gluten-free meal. To make the recipe Paleo, try the filling over roasted sweet potatoes!
One simple way of making sloppy joe's is by combining meat with a lot of ketchup plus mustard and Worcestershire sauce. This recipe is based on tomato paste instead. Then, rather than scooping out a vegetable as you would with Ground Beef-Stuffed Kabocha Squash or Massaman Curry-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, you split the potatoes and top them with filling.
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🫕 Why we love these sloppy joe's
- Not a fan of ketchup? Or out of ketchup? With this recipe, you make your own ketchup-like sauce based on tomato paste and other simple ingredients.
- You can adjust the ingredients to your liking: more or less vinegar, or coconut sugar, or mustard.
- For strict Paleo you can even make this recipe sugar-free.
- The whole family enjoys this homemade Sloppy Joe topping.
🌰 🥒What you will need for this recipe
- Yukon gold potatoes - my favorite creamy potato and they turn out so well in the air fryer!
- ground beef - pastured if you can find it
- olive oil or avocado oil
- bell pepper, any color of your choice, preferably organic
- a white or sweet onion
- garlic
- tomato paste - a small can
- coconut sugar (optional but flavorful)
- prepared spicy yellow mustard or a good Dijon mustard
- chili powder - a good spice to buy organic
- worcestershire sauce - I use the organic one from Whole Foods
- apple cider vinegar - gives a little tang to the sauce
- black pepper and sea salt
Tips and Steps in making this recipe
- Step 1.
Roast the potatoes while you are preparing the filling.
- Step 2.
If you decide to use russets rather than Yukon golds, you may want to add about ¼ cup of water to your sauce so it doesn't get too thick.
- Step 3.
Once the potatoes are roasted, and as soon as you can handle them without burning your fingers, split each potato almost in half, then spoon the filling on.
- Step 4.
Using small-diced onion and green bell pepper makes it easier to stuff the potatoes than if you chop them with a larger dice.
- Step 5.
If you simmer the sauce for longer than the 10 minutes in the instructions, it will continue to thicken unless you cover it.
Beth's Kitchen Savory Tip
To maximize flavor, start savory dishes by sautéing (cook with a little oil in an open skillet) a mirepoix (a mix of minced/diced carrots, onions, garlic and/or bell peppers). This flavors the oil, which will flavor the whole dish.
🌰 Recipe Variations
- Red potatoes. My favorite potato is the Yukon gold because it is creamier than a Russet. Red potatoes have a similar texture. Most Yukons are a little small to scoop out and stuff. So, you can fill the split potatoes with the sloppy joe meat mixture.
- Use Sweet potatoes for a more Paleo-friendly option.
- Layer your Sloppy Joe ground beef mixture onto gluten-free or Paleo buns.
- Layer the sauce over Tater Tots for an easy weeknight dinner casserole. Or Sloppy Joe fries!
- Try adding a little taco seasoning instead of worcestershire sauce for a Southwestern flavor.
Recipe FAQ
According to Wikipedia, 'Marilyn Brown, Director of the Consumer Test Kitchen at H.J. Heinz in Pittsburgh, says their research at the Carnegie Library suggests that the sloppy joe's origins lie with the "loose meat sandwiches" sold in Sioux City, Iowa, in the 1930s and were the creation of a cook named Joe.'
Today, sloppy joe's are usually made of ground or shredded beef or pork in a tomato sauce.
This recipe could easily be made vegetarian using beans instead of beef and vegetarian worcestershire sauce.
It's a sloppy Jane if you sub ground turkey for ground beef.
Yes, once you have prepared your homemade sloppy joe sauce, any baked potato works well to serve it on. Actually probably any cooked vegetable would do!
Leftover sloppy joes on potatoes or sweet potatoes reheat well. Keep them refrigerated in an airtight container and warm in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Sloppy joe mixture will make any type of bun soggy so I would not store those together.
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
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Sloppy Joe Air Fryer Stuffed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 good-sized Yukon gold potatoes baked in air fryer or oven, plus olive oil to coat (see note)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 large white or sweet onion diced small
- 1 large bell pepper any color, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef pastured
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon prepared spicy yellow mustard or Dijon
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes (see note below for air fryer directions) and set aside.
- In a pot or large skillet on medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute the onions until just translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the bell peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes more until peppers are starting to change color.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it all up, until all the pink color is gone.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Taste to see if it needs a little more salt or vinegar. Remember that the potatoes aren't salted so you can make the mixture just a bit saltier than you might otherwise.
- Cut the cooked potatoes almost in half and press gently open. Spoon the Sloppy Joe filling on top of each open potato. OPTIONAL GARNISHES: Top with cheese, if desired, and a dollop of yogurt (or sour cream) - dairy or non-dairy. Garnish with sliced green onions and parsley.
Notes
- 4 Yukon gold potatoes, about 3-4 inches long each
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Brush potatoes gently with 1 teaspoon oil; place in the basket of the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes. Skins will be starting to brown.
- Brush potatoes with 1 additional teaspoon oil; continue cooking in the air fryer for 10 minutes. Coat with the remaining oil and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes more.
Nutrition
Dessert, anyone?
About Beth
From learning to cook at the age of 13 to teaching food chemistry to high school students, I love preparing and sharing new and familiar dishes. Whether it’s baking, sauteing or making a salad from farmer's market finds, food gets my creativity going. Enjoy my recipes on A Meal In Mind!
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Taleen
Oh my gosh, this is genius! We love sloppy joes and have never thought to make them this way -- but it's perfect for my GF husband!
Beth
Thanks, Taleen, this recipe has been a very happy discovery, which makes total sense when you think that tomato flavors go so well with potatoes! I hope he enjoys it.
Marta
We're not real sloppy Joe eaters, but we love potatoes for lunch. I may have to give this a go soon.
Beth
Marta, we haven't been either, but the fact that these don't have store-bought ketchup has elevated them to my older son's favorite dish - and the Yukon golds are perfect with it.
Wendy
Oh my! I love making things in my air fryer, and these sloppy joe stuffed potatoes are going on my my must make soon list.
Beth
Wendy, the air fryer gives the potatoes a slight crispiness that goes great with the Sloppy Joe seasonings. Hope you like it.
Lesli Schwartz
I love this idea of using the air fryer for the potatoes, and as a replacement for a bun! Brilliant, and so much healthier. I haven't had sloppy Joe's since I was a kid, but need to give this recipe a try. Delish!
Beth
Lesli, it's the perfect combination, we think, GF or not. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do and make it to your own taste.
Sondra Barker
These looking AMAZING! I've never thought about using potatoes instead of buns, but this is definitely something I am excited to try!
Beth
Thanks, Sondra, I hope you enjoy it with the potatoes. I'm sure we'd never choose buns now after trying this, gluten or not!
Stine Mari
I love the idea of using a baked potato instead of a bun for sloppy joes! This looks so good and I need to make it really soon!
Beth
Thanks, Stine Mari, my son, who loves all things good food, told me to forget the buns from now on and just serve it this way - just to motivate you!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
I love this recipe! Turned out great for a quick family meal. So creative and tasty.
Beth
Julie, I'm so happy to hear that. It's a great recipe and I'm over the moon that it turned out well for you. We love it!
Jar of Lemons
I love that you used potatoes with this recipe instead of buns. What a filling, delicious recipe. I need to put this into our weekly rotation because my whole family will love it!
Beth
Hi Leslie, my son, who gives me honest feedback, said that we also need it on our weekly rotation - it's that flavorful. Yay! I hope everyone loves it as much as we do.
Sophia
What an awesome idea! I love this because it's so simple. Using potatoes is a great way to get complex carbs and a healthier bread substitute. I used sweet potatoes and it was really tasty!
Beth
Sophia, I'm so glad to hear it. I can imagine it was delicious with the sweet potatoes and I will put that on my list to try, too.
sapana
I like the idea of using potatoes instead of buns. Love how flavorful and inviting those joes are looking, I will be trying a vegan version soon.
Beth
Sapana, a vegan version should work really well, I'm imagining it would be a little like dressed-up barbecue beans. I look forward to hearing how it turns out.
Lathiya
I love potatoes and this stuffed potato sloppy joe looks perfect for dinner time. I loved that you chose to air fry.
Beth
Hi Lathi, we think that air frying the potatoes makes the dish even better than it would be using another method - I'm new to air frying so it was a great surprise!
Gail Montero
My husband loves loaded baked potatoes so he would totally enjoy these stuffed potatoes. What a fabulously tasty idea!
Beth
Gail, this is one of my son's favorites for the same reason - you can vary the amount of "stuffing", which is great!
Amy Liu Dong
Wow! This is definitely an entire new food concept for me. I loved the idea of our favorite potato to be the bum in this overload stuff.
Beth
Amy, it's really an easy, tasty, and fun variation on the traditional "Joe" and I can't recommend it enough.
Alexis
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you for this simple and easy air fryer recipe.
Beth
Alexis, I'm so glad to hear it. It's one of our favorites because of the great blend of flavors.
Beth Shields
This looks delicious and I am a "loose meat sandwich" kind of gal from way back. On a baked potato is even better! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Beth
Thanks, Beth. Everyone enjoyed this and nobody missed the bread!