These bison sloppy joes are made with lean and flavorful ground bison, simmered in a rich, tangy sauce, and piled high on a soft bun. They are sure to become a family favorite!
When my husband, Brent, and I started to change to a cleaner eating lifestyle in 2017, I discovered bison and fell in love with it. Bison can be used instead of ground beef in any recipe and tastes very similar. It has more protein than beef and is leaner with less fat than ground beef. I found myself cooking with it regularly and using it to make my favorite comfort classics, like bison shepherd's pie and bison tacos.
Sloppy Joes are the ultimate childhood comfort food! Every time I make these it instantly brings me back to being a kid. What I love about this recipe is that it's a simple recipe that is so flavorful and comes together quickly, which is so nice for a busy weeknight. We love serving our sloppy joes with creamed spinach, green beans, french fries, roasted potatoes, or a simple side salad.
So roll up those sleeves and let's get messy! Come along as I show you how easy it is to make this bison version of a classic dish.
Ingredients
Substitutions
Bison- You can use ground beef if you don't have ground bison.
Buns- I like to use Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free buns or Dave's Killer Bread buns, but any buns will work.
Green bell pepper- You can use any color of bell pepper in this recipe.
Tomato paste- You can use tomato sauce in place of tomato paste.
Coconut aminos- If you don't have coconut aminos you can use regular or gluten-free soy sauce.
Honey- You can use maple syrup, coconut sugar, or regular sugar.
Smoked paprika- Regular paprika will work great.
Avocado oil- You can use olive oil.
Step by step
- Step 1: Heat the avocado oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are transparent and softened.
- Step 2: Add the ground bison to the pan with the cooked onions and bell peppers and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the meat has browned.
- Step 3: Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the tomato paste to the pan, combine it with the bison mixture, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 5: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, mustard, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and honey.
- Step 6: Add the sauce to the bison mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve your sloppy Joe mixture on your favorite buns and with your favorite side dish. I like to toast my buns in the oven on broil for a few minutes to give them a nice texture and warmth.
Tips
- To make this dish paleo-friendly you can serve the sloppy joe mixture on top of roasted sweet potatoes or white potatoes. You can also omit the honey and serve it over potatoes to make this dish Whole30-friendly.
- I like to buy tomato paste that comes in a tube. You can usually find it in your local grocery store. That way you can store it in the refrigerator and only use what you need instead of buying a whole can and only using a tiny amount.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftover sloppy joe mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can reheat your leftovers in the microwave and add them to a fresh bun.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and comment! Your feedback is so important to me.
Recipe
Bison Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground bison
- 4 Buns
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ cup Onions diced
- ½ cup Green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup Coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- ½ teaspoon Chili powder
- ½ teasoopn Black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- large skillet
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and diced bell pepper to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are transparent and have softened.
- Add the ground bison to the pan with the cooked onions and bell peppers and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the meat has browned.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan, combine it with the bison mixture, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, mustard, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and honey. Then add the sauce to the bison mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve your sloppy Joe mixture in between your favorite buns and along with your favorite side. I like to toast my buns in the oven on broil for a few minutes to give them a nice texture and warmth.
Notes
Nutrition
*nutrition information is an approximate
Share this recipe on FacebookHi, I'm Kaleena!
I'm a 30-something wife and dog mom who shares mostly gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30, and Paleo-friendly recipes. Since doing my first Whole30 in 2017, I have completely changed my way of cooking. I love to create recipes made from real, flavorful ingredients that the whole family will love!
Terry
I loved this recipe...It was so easy and tasted amazing!