Lentil Sloppy Joes!
Seeing as I’ve posted recipes for both Healthy Oreos and Healthy Butterfingers this week, I figured a non-dessert post was in order. After all, a person can’t live on chocolate, cookies, and candy, alone. We can come close…
Anywhoos, so last night I made these:
Thinking of sloppy joes brings me back to high school.
My mom always placed high importance on family dinner nights, and she’d somehow manage to make a big meal even on days we were super busy. (We were always super busy!)
My sister and I played on the school’s varsity tennis team, with long practices each day, and Friday nights were particularly animated: we’d board a bus in the afternoon, then play intense matches until well after dark. Intense might not be a strong enough word… we sometimes played against China’s future Olympic team!
Ever the supportive parent, my mom attended almost every match. Yet, when we’d finally drag our tired (and hungry) bodies off the courts, there it would magically sit, waiting for us:
A home-cooked meal.
Sloppy joes became one of our favorite Friday-night dinners, and one of our mom’s favorites as well, because she could make them in the morning in the crock pot. Her recipe is actually meatless (I’ve been a vegetarian since high school), but it calls for a few ingredients one can’t buy in the US. So last night I changed it up, and I incorporated lentils into my new creation.
Although I didn’t use a crock pot for this recipe, I imagine you could. The recipe comes together very quickly, and there’s even a microwave option!
Did you sit down to family meals when you were growing up?
Or do you try to have family meals with your own kids? My family tried to all eat together whenever we could. Sometimes after-school activities got in the way; and sometimes we were forced to eat in the car, en route to soccer practice or art class. But when we got the opportunity to sit down as a family, we took advantage.
I don’t remember ever eating dinner in front of the television, unless it was a special “movie night.”
Lentil Sloppy Joes
(Sloppy Loes)
- 2 15-oz cans lentils, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups cooked lentils)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 stevia packets, or 3-5 tsp sugar or sweetener of choice, or to taste
- 14 oz tomato sauce (I used no-salt-added)
- up to 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (or soy-free alternative)
- optional: 1/2 an onion (diced) and 2 tsp oil
Lentil sloppy joes: If making these on the stovetop: sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until onion is translucent. Add lentils and spices, stir, then add all other ingredients and cook uncovered (stirring occasionally) until thick like sloppy joe filling. If making this in the microwave: add all ingredients to a large microwave-safe dish (minus the onion and oil, which you won’t use with this method). Microwave until it boils, stir, then repeat the process until it is thick like sloppy joe filling. Makes about 5 cups.
View Sloppy Joes Nutrition Facts
Link Of The Day:
Yum!! I just finished my bowl of lentil sloppy joes. I cooked 1 cup of dried lentils in my slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours. Next, I drained the water, leaving the lentils in my crock pot. Then, I measured the rest of the ingredients and threw them into the pot, stirred, and cooked on high for another hour. Yum!!! Thank you Katie! This recipe is just what I needed- I’ve been incorporating more legumes into my sugar free and grain free diet.
This was a great dinner idea for meatless Monday but I don’t like the cumin and cinnamon in it. I just did a simple recipe for te sloppy joe sauce the second time. With th dry mustard, ketchup, worchestire and a few other ingredients. I’m glad I found the recipe though because I never thought of using lentils in place of hamburger. Thank you!
These are DIVINE, Katie! I cooked the filling at 8 in the morning to prepare for lunch and everyone woke up to the amazing smell of the spices cooking. Even my meat-eating boyfriend loved them, and no one believed me when I said they were vegan! I’ll be trying them with some tempeh crumbles next time around!
Is there any way to get a printable for this recipe? It’s so delicious, thank you so much for creating it!! (:
Just highlight the recipe and press the control and c keys on your keyboard. Then open a word document and paste.
Just made this tonight. Made small alterations on amount of spices and added a little bit of Austrian beer mustard (no Dijon mustard on hand). Made some cumin-lime coleslaw as a topping and side. It was glorious.
i just made this recipe tonight (just a few years behind), and it is so delicious! i eat meat (on occasion), and i honestly think this lentil sloppy joe is much better than the typical meat version. thank you!!
These were very tasty! As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for a new lean protein recipe. My carnivorous husband absolutely loved them, too, and asked to put them in our meal repertoire. We did add a little bit of shredded cheese (hey, more protein, right?). Thanks!
I can’t eat tomatoes, and wondering if you have a good substitute idea for what they bring to this recipe. Thanks!
These look AMAZING!!! My husband and daughter are going to LOVE this!!! When I went Vegan 6 years ago my family just followed right along for the ride. But there have been some meals that they have been missing, sloppy joes is one of them. I usually use Dry Lentils when using Lentils…if I did this recipe in the crockpot with dry lentils, how many cups do you think I should use?
And THANK YOU for this recipe!!!
I had these at a party and I wanted the recipe but forgot to ask. Then I just happened to find It on one of my favorite websites . I am so happy! They are sooooooooooooo good and surprisingly easy. Definitely one of my fave recipes of all time.