Sloppy “Rose” Lettuce Wraps - The Best Sloppy Joes Ever (Gluten Free, Grain Free + Refined Sugar Free)

I don’t know about you, but I loved Sloppy Joes as a kid.  It was one of my favorite meals that my mom would make.  She would make up a big batch of it and serve it on brown butter toasted buns.  Yum!    

I’ve been craving this lately and told my husband that I would recreate the recipe my mom used to make for me.  We both agreed this is the best Sloppy Joes we’ve ever had.  We’re still talking about how good it was and wishing we had more of it.  This is going to become a routine staple in our home. 

My husband named this a Sloppy “Rose” because of the way I plated it in the lettuce, like the lettuce was blooming out.  I loved it as a lettuce wrap, but of course you could eat it on the typical bun too.  It would be so delicious on a gluten free brown butter toasted bun or in a tortilla too.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Sloppy “Rose” Lettuce Wraps - The Best Sloppy Joes Ever 

(Gluten Free, Grain Free + Refined Sugar Free with Vegan-Option)

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Equipment: Cutting Board, Large Sauté Pan

·      3 tablespoons fat of choice, divided – pasture butter, ghee or coconut oil

·      1 yellow onion, diced

·      2 cups mushrooms, sliced

·      3 carrots, peeled and diced

·      3 garlic cloves, minced or grated

·      1 pound grass-fed ground beef (See Resources)

·      ¼ cup bone broth, veggie broth or filtered water

·      ¼ cup organic tomato paste (buy organic tomato paste here)

·      1 tablespoon chili powder blend (buy chili powder here)

·      2 teaspoons organic Dijon mustard

·      2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar or organic maple syrup grade B

·      2 tablespoons coconut aminos (buy coconut aminos here)

·      ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      2-3 pickles, diced (I use Bubbie’s)

·      Organic Romaine or Red Leaf lettuce leaves

1.    Wash and prep produce – dice onion, slice mushrooms, peel and dice carrots, and mince/grate garlic.  Wash lettuce – set aside. 

2.   Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons fat of choice.  Add onion, mushrooms, carrots and garlic – stir occasionally until onions and mushrooms start to caramelize/brown, about 10-15 minutes. 

3.   Add remaining tablespoon of fat, ground beef and broth or water.  Stir, breaking up meat, until meat is browned, about 3-4 minutes.

4.   Add tomato paste, chili powder, mustard, coconut sugar, coconut aminos and sea salt.  Stir to incorporate and let simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.    

5.    Add chopped pickles and stir to incorporate.

6.   Serve hot in lettuce wraps.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Serving Suggestions: If you don’t want to use lettuce wraps, serve on toasted gluten free buns, rolls or biscuits.  For added yumminess, cut gluten free bun in half, place ½ to 1 tablespoon of pasture butter or ghee on inside of bun halves, place under broiler to brown – don’t take your eye off of it or it could burn quickly. 

Tip: This is even better the next day after everything has had time to marry.  The flavor is incredible. 

Storage: Store in the refrigerator.  For best results, eat within 3 days.

Vegan-Option: Replace meat with extra sliced mushrooms and carrots.  Add 2 more carrots and 4 more cups of sliced mushrooms.    

This post is part of Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Allergy Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, and Simple Lives Thursday @ My Humble Kitchen..