Shake up dinner this week by making my quick and easy Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes. I mix canned lentils into a flavorful homemade sauce that comes together in just about 20 minutes. Serve these hearty lentil sandwiches with a side of veggies for a balanced dinner. Embrace your inner child with my easy recipe that the whole family will love.
I’ll be honest, I never liked sloppy joes growing up, and I’m not even sure I would enjoy a regular one these days. But, I’ve been making vegetarian sloppy joe recipes for years and I absolutely love them. The secret is in the homemade sauce, that comes together quickly using mostly pantry staples. I’ve made them before with chickpeas, tofu and tempeh but lentils have the best taste and texture for this recipe, in my opinion. Embrace your inner child with my easy recipe that the whole family will love.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dinner Recipe
- Packed with protein – Lentils are a great source of both plant-based protein and iron. They will fill you up, give you energy and they help regulate your digestive system. You really can’t go wrong when adding lentils to your meals.
- Easy to make – I used canned lentils for these sloppy joes, which makes the recipe super easy and quick to make. The sauce does have a list of ingredients needed, but I bet you already have most of them on hand.
- Great for the family – Even though I didn’t eat sloppy joes as a kid, I always think of them as such a family meal from the 90s. They’re hearty, healthy and full of nostalgia.
Sloppy Joe Recipe Tips
- Add toppings – Sloppy joes are great by themselves, just the sloppy joe filling and a bun, but if you’re like me you can’t help but dress them up a little bit. I love adding tangy pickles, crunchy onion and a slice of cheese to mine.
- Mix up the protein – I used a couple cans of brown lentils in this recipe, but you can also mix up the types of protein used. For example, add in chickpeas, tempeh or tofu for a little variety, instead of just using lentils.
- Make them spicy – I usually make these pretty mild in flavor, but you can easily add some extra heat by either mixing in some Calabrian chili paste to the sauce or topping them with pickled jalapeños.
Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joe Recipe Ingredients
- Lentils – I used three cans of brown lentils that I rinsed and drained. You are welcome to use home cooked lentils instead though. You can also use a combination of lentils, chickpeas, tempeh or tofu if you prefer.
- Walnuts – Walnuts are optional, but I love adding in because they provide texture and extra healthy fats. Just make sure you chop them up finely so they blend in well with the lentils.
- Sauce – The sauce is packed with flavor and made using mostly pantry ingredients like: marinara sauce, ketchup, mustard, onion, garlic, maple syrup and tamari. I’m not sure if they sell bottled sloppy joe sauce at the grocery store, but you are welcome to use that if they do.
- Buns – I just used regular buns for these sloppy joes, but you can enjoy the mixture on regular bread or even wrapped up in a tortilla if you prefer.
- Toppings – The toppings are optional, but I love adding extra flavor by topping my sloppy joes with pickles, onion and cheddar cheese.
How To Make Plant Based Sloppy Joes
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in the diced onion and green pepper, plus a pinch of salt. Cook veggies until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- I like to prepare the sloppy joe sauce while the veggies are cooking. Add all sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix together well. You can also add them in one by one to the pan if you prefer, I just find it easier to mix them together beforehand.
- Add all sauce ingredients to the pan, mix well and cook for about 1 minute to allow the flavors of the dry spices to develop. Next, add in the lentils and walnuts. Mix everything together and cook sloppy joe mixture for 3-4 minutes, until everything is heated through and the sauce is nice and thick.
- Place about 3/4 cup of the sloppy joe mixture onto a bun and then add any extra toppings you like. Serve with chips and a side of veggies for lunch or dinner. Enjoy!
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Make this recipe vegan by omitting the cheese.
- Make this recipe gluten free by serving on a gluten free bun.
- Can the lentils be substituted? Yes, if you don’t want to use lentils, I would suggest using chickpeas or tofu as a substitute.
- Is this recipe freezer friendly? Yes, you can easily freeze the sloppy joe filling until ready to use. Freeze all together or in individual portions, for up to 3 months.
- How long do leftovers last? If stored in an air-tight container, leftover sloppy joe filling will last for 4-5 days. Re-heat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Hearty Lentil Recipes?
Lentil and Rice with Curry Yogurt
30-Minute Lentil and Broccoli Stir Fry
Spaghetti with Meaty Lentil Sauce
Iron Rich Spinach Lentil Salad
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Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
Shake up dinner this week by making my quick and easy Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes. I mix canned lentils into a flavorful homemade sauce that comes together in just about 20 minutes. Serve these hearty lentil sandwiches with a side of veggies for a balanced dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium sized green bell pepper, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15 oz) cans brown lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup finely chopped raw walnuts
- 4 buns
- 4 slices cheddar cheese, optional
- Optional toppings: cheese, onion, jalapeno, pickles
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in the diced onion and green pepper, plus a pinch of salt. Cook veggies until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- I like to prepare the sloppy joe sauce while the veggies are cooking. Add all sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix together well. You can also add them in one by one to the pan if you prefer, I just find it easier to mix them together beforehand.
- Add all sauce ingredients to the pan, mix well and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until bubbling. Next, add in the lentils, mix everything together and cook mixture for 2-3 minutes, until everything is heated through and the sauce is nice and thick.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts and season with extra salt and pepper, to taste. If adding cheese, I like to add the cheese slices to the bun and then spoon the warm sloppy joe mixture over, so that the cheese will melt.
- Use about 3/4 cup- 1 cup of sloppy joe mixture on each sandwich. Add any extra toppings you like and serve with chips and a side of veggies, for lunch or dinner. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
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