This paleo sloppy joe casserole is a comforting one pan meal perfect for postpartum meal prep or feeding the whole family. Made with grass-fed ground beef, savory tomato sauce and topped with roasted sweet potatoes, sloppy joe casserole is nourishing, delicious and easy.

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Simplify the process

You can put your instant pot to work in this recipe and cook the potatoes in a flash, rather than roasting your sweet potatoes. Peel and cube your sweet potatoes, place in a steamer basket in the instant pot along with 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 4 minutes then quick release the pressure. Discard water and transfer potatoes to a bowl to mash.

Meal prepping at the beginning of the week? Brown the ground beef and roast potatoes ahead of time. Store them in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the sloppy joe casserole!

Make it a one-dish meal by doing all your cooking in an oven safe skillet. To be honest, I typically cook this whole dish in a 15″ cast iron skillet because it saves time and dishes. But it photographs terribly… so you have options.

Ingredient Swaps

While the ingredients in this paleo sloppy joe casserole are pretty simple, sometimes the produce aisle or pantry does not provide. Here are some simple swaps to ensure you still get a tasty, nutritious and stress-free meal.

Butternut squash. Use roasted and mashed butternut squash for the best flavor. You can also use frozen butternut squash cubes. Defrost, mash and top your casserole!

Ground turkey easily swaps one to one for ground beef in this recipe. You can also use ground pork, but know that pork is fattier than beef. You’ll need to drain off some of the pork fat before adding in your veggies when cooking.

Bell pepper or ancho chili pepper. The right pepper is the toughest thing to find and I’m here to remind you not to stress. I prefer poblanos, but ancho or even a sweet bell pepper will add the needed crunch to this casserole.

Nutrient Boost

Give your sloppy joe casserole a prenatal nutrient boost and add 1/2 pound chopped chicken liver with the ground beef. The ground beef and spices mask the flavor of liver, making it an ideal way to sneak much needed organ meat into your prenatal diet.

Postpartum Meal Prep

This makes a large batch, so it’s easy to split into two batches! Divide cooked beef between two pans. Using a freezer and oven safe aluminum pan is ideal here. For the batch you intend to freeze, skip the final bake until ready to serve.