These vegan lentil sloppy joes are a healthier alternative made from savory lentils, hearty tomato sauce and some extra twists for a tastefully reminiscent version of the childhood favorite.
These vegan lentil sloppy joes bring me back to my childhood every time we make them..
The sun is starting to set, leaving a slightly orange glow in the sky. The street lamps are turning on, the air is cooling and the traffic is dying down, the last remnants of their passing in a trail of wispy smoke. Stars start peeking through as the sky darkens and we see the glow of the street lamps. Then we start racing home; the evening is winding down and it’s time for dinner.
We burst in through the door, quickly rip off our shoes and socks and race to the bathroom to wash our hands, shoving each other as we giggle wildly. Then we all crowd around the kitchen table and mom starts whipping out Sloppy Joes with lightning quick speed…
This is such a vivid memory of mine (I’m sure my brothers will recall it IF they ever read this blog post…). We spent so much time playing outside as kids and didn’t go inside until the street lamps came on. We didn’t have iPads or computers or cell phones. We invented games. We climbed trees. We rode bikes or roller bladed on the bike path in Rhode Island. When we got home, we ate furiously and ravenously. Those were how our summer days went.
The nostalgia of this dish is so deep and so vivid that I can feel the memory recreated by the scent fill my heart and warm me … and it makes this dish that much more fun for me! Because of that, I’m so excited to share a piece of my childhood with you.
While we were exposed to many traditional Greek foods, we certainly weren’t denied traditional American dishes either and Sloppy Joes are a popular one!
Our plant-based take..
For our plant-based take, I’ve replaced ground beef with lentils and I’ve added some other plants in there to help recreate the flavor and texture: savory and hearty, a little chewy, loaded with flavor and bursting out of the bun. I’m including recipe modifications below for WFPB, gluten free and nut free.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it’s created using canned lentils which in turn, makes this faster and easier. You can certainly opt to use dried lentils but that will lengthen your cooking time. I recommend cooking your lentils about 95% of the way through prior to adding them to the tomato sauce.
If you’re into sliders, then give my BBQ pulled mushroom sliders a go! You can find that recipe here.
Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can of lentils
- 1/3 cup pulsed walnuts
- 1/4 cup pulsed oats
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6-8 baby bella mushrooms, diced
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 cup veggie broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- regular hamburger buns or slider buns
Optional Additions
- cole slaw
- vegan cheese slices
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your lentils in a strainer.
- In a food processor or magicbullet, pulse your walnuts. Do not grind into a powder, you want small pieces.
- In a large skillet, add your diced onions, garlic and mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the lentils, walnuts, oats and spices (oregano, chili powder, parsley, salt + pepper) and mix until well incorporated. Reduce your heat to medium-low.
- Whisk 3 ounces of tomato paste into a cup of veggie broth and then pour over the lentils and mix well. Simmer on medium-low heat until the veggie broth has been reduced and your sauce has thickened. The texture of the lentils with the tomato should be pasty and thick.
Notes
Did you make this? Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thewholescoopblog
