Pumpkins have started appearing at the grocery store, and there are all kinds of ways to enjoy them that don’t involve pie! Here’s just one: a Paleo twist on sloppy Joes with a pumpkin-flavored beef chili served inside roasted sweet potatoes. It’s just on the line between sweet and savory, and the allspice, cloves, and chili powder give it depth with just a pinch of heat.
This is also a great recipe for kids, especially if you’ve been saying no to a lot of pumpkin cookies and muffins (and scones, and gummy candies, and granola, and breakfast cereal…) lately. Let them give you a hand in the kitchen with it – maybe wrapping up the potatoes or stuffing them when everything is done.
Or if you’re trying to keep the carbs a little lower, you could serve the chili over squash or even salad. If you have any leftovers, throw them in your eggs and make fall-flavored breakfast for the week.
Pumpkin Sloppy Joes Recipe
SERVES: 4
PREP: 15 min.
COOK: 20 min.
Protein: 35g / %
Carbs: 47g / %
Fat: 20g / %
Values are per portion. These are for information only & are not meant to be exact calculations.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef;
- 1 onion, chopped;
- 1 garlic clove, minced;
- 1 cup pumpkin puree;
- 1 cup tomato sauce;
- 2 tbsp. raw honey; (optional)
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard;
- 1 tbsp. chili powder;
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice.
- 4 sweet potatoes;
- Cooking fat;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Heat a skillet over a medium-high heat.
- Melt-in some cooking fat, add the garlic and onion, and cook until soft.
- Add the ground beef and cook until brown.
- Stir in the pumpkin, tomato sauce, mustard, honey, allspice, and chili powder.
- Give everything a good stir, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Season to taste, and serve stuffed in the sweet potatoes.