Naturally sweet from the pumpkin, this low-carb sloppy joe skillet can be piled on a bun or eaten with a fork.
Low-Carb Sloppy Joe Skillet
This is a recipe with a long list of ingredients but is surprisingly easy to make. In just about 30 minutes, you’ll have a filling meal that you can eat on a bun or with a fork or go add it on top of Palmini noodles!
It has the perfect balance of sweet and heat thanks to the jalapenos and fire roasted tomatoes. And all of these flavors – the sweetness, the heat, the savory notes – are easy to adjust, too.
Further below, I will share recipe tips, ingredient swaps, how to serve it for dinner, and explain why I added pumpkin to a sloppy Joe skillet.
Pumpkin Chili
I’ve made pumpkin chili twice before. The first time I made keto pumpkin chili with zucchini and lots of veggies. It was hearty and filling.
Then I made a lighter keto pumpkin chili with ground beef and fresh parsley. This time, I made it spicier and creamier – almost like sloppy Joes.
You can see where I got the name! There are 7 grams net carbs in each serving and this entire recipe makes six servings.
Most of those carbs come from the ingredients that also give it tons of flavor – the jalapenos, tomato paste, and pumpkin puree. It’s worth the indulgence, trust me!
Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
Since there are so many carbs in each serving, I prefer to avoid adding more carbs to the meal. So if you want to eat it on a bun, I suggest making a zero-carb option like keto cloud bread.
But it’s so thick and hearty that you could just eat it with a fork (which is what I did!).
When you add the pumpkin puree, pay close attention to what the can says. Don’t accidentally add pumpkin pie filling.
It’s easy to do – they’re sold right next to each other! But pumpkin pie filling has added spices and real sugar, so it’s not keto-friendly.
Sloppy Joe Skillet
If you want to make your own pumpkin puree, go ahead! Get a whole pumpkin, remove the seeds, and cut it into slices.
Then roast them until the inside becomes nice and soft. Then, scoop it out of the skins and pulse it in a food processor or blender!
Here are a few ingredients swaps you can make, if you want to. To make it spicier, add some habanero pepper or hot sauce.
On the other hand, you could make it milder by adding some Swerve brown sugar substitute or omitting the jalapenos entirely.
What To Eat With Sloppy Joes
If you’re trying to lose weight on keto, you might not want to eat much on the side with the sloppy joe skillet. Think of something with little or no carbs – like something cheesy or high in protein.
But if you’ve counted your macros and you know you have enough left over to add a few things to the side, I have a few ideas! Start with a bowl of low-carb Shepherd’s pie soup.
Not in the mood for soup? If you have some leftover keto green bean casserole bundles, heat them up or munch on some keto copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks with the skillet sloppy joes.
Make some Low-Carb Crispy Chicken Pot Pie Roll-Ups to go with the sloppy joe skillet. Then for dessert, make some Keto Fall Candy Bark.
Kids love it!
Low-Carb Pumpkin Sloppy Joe Skillet Recipe
Here’s the list of ingredients (and step by step pictures) that you’ll need to make this low-carb pumpkin sloppy joe skilleet recipe. The exact measurements and instructions are in the printable recipe card, just a little below.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Net Carbs: 7 net carbs per serving
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Onion chopped
- Green bell pepper chopped
- Jalapenos finely chopped
- Minced garlic
- Tomato paste
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Beef broth
- Pumpkin puree
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Pinch nutmeg and cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Place the ground beef, onion and bell pepper into a skillet over medium high heat. Saute until the meat is completely browned. Drain the excess grease, and reduce the heat to medium.
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, jalapenos, diced tomatoes, beef broth, pumpkin puree, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
Cover, and simmer over medium low heat for 15 minutes.
Pin for later!
Follow me on Pinterest!
Low-Carb Pumpkin Chili Sloppy Joe Skillet
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped
- 2 Jalapenos finely chopped
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Oregano
- pinch Nutmeg and Cinnamon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the ground beef, onion and bell pepper into a skillet over medium high heat. Saute until the meat is completely browned. Drain the excess grease, and reduce the heat to medium.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, jalapenos, diced tomatoes, beef broth, pumpkin puree, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
- Cover, and simmer over medium low heat for 15 minutes.
Notes
Keto Pumpkin Recipes
From dessert to entrees, there are so many different ways to cook pumpkin. And if you liked this low-carb pumpkin sloppy joe skillet, here are more of my popular pumpkin recipes.
