Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
A few weeks ago, I was on a list to take a meal to a friend who had a baby. As I was skimming the list to make sure I wasn’t bringing a duplicate meal, I saw “sloppy lentils”. Since, I already had a bunch of lentils from my last Azure Standard order, I set to work making some sloppy lentils or vegetarian sloppy joes. Lentils may be little but they have a large nutritional content with many health benefits.
I was very happy with how the sloppy joes turned out and my two ridiculously picky boys even liked them. When I prepare legumes I prepare them in bulk so I made two variations. The first variation tastes like a classic sloppy Joe and the second has an almost (very) mild Indian flavor.
Classic Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
3 cups cooked lentils*
1/2 red onion – chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs mustard
1/4 cup bbq sauce
sea salt to taste (I didn’t need any using the store bought ketchup and bbq sauce.)
1. Sauté onion in a bit of oil until soft.
2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and bbq sauce. Mix well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes Variation 2
3 cups of cooked lentils*
1 small onion – chopped
1 garlic clove – minced
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 tbs of mustard
1/8 tsp dried mustard powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs molasses
dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste
1. Sauté onion and garlic in a bit of oil until soft.
2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, mustard, mustard powder, cumin, apple cider vinegar, molasses and cayenne. Stir well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.
*I presoaked the lentils all day (about 8-9 hours) in filtered water and 2 tablespoons of whey. Then I boiled them in twice as much water until liquid was absorbed. It doesn’t take long.
Serve on a bun of your choice with some simple sweet potato chips, perhaps?
Or if you are watching your grain intake maybe you would prefer Sloppy Lentil Lettuce Boats?
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
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Yum! I don’t know which one sounds better! I have a box of vegetarian sloppy joe mix from Fantastic Foods that’s been in my cabinet for literally months – I’ve been dying for it, I just keep forgetting to get tomato paste! GAH!
oh yummy
i <3 lentils!
xo.
You had me at ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce. How could anything be wrong with that combo?
Ohhhh! So good- I wish Derek liked Lentils- weirdo! Why do you soak in whey? I’m ALL for extra protein but curious if there’s some magic to it and do you then toss the liquid with the whey?
Soaking them ( in whey (or lemon juice) makes them more digestible and the nutrients more available to the body b/c the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors are neutralized. Lentils have less phytic acid than other beans so they don’t need to be soaked as long.
Here is an article that explains more than you ever wanted to know about beans! http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/492-putting-the-polish-on-those-humble-beans
Does this mean it will make you less gassy and bloated?
THanks for the info. I made this today for some vegetarian friends with stuff I’d been wanting to use in the pantry- sooo glad you posted it when you did. Sadly I used 2 cups of RAW and not 3 cups cooked, so it’s a bit dense, but yummy nonetheless. I need to stop “tasting” it now or there won’t be any left for my guests today
I suspect even my meat-loving guy will like these. Thanks!!
Looks great girl! I’ve never tried veg sloppy joes and lentils are sooo good.
Yum, I love sandwiches/wraps in romaine leaves. So crunchy and hydrating.
I love vegetarian sloppy joes. They really are so good and taste better than regular sloppy joes.
I love lentils, but I never think to do anything with them but make soup. I’ll definitely be trying this.