Lentil Sloppy Joes
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Best Lentil Sloppy Joes recipe with the most delicious perfectly balanced, tangy, sweet and savory sauce from scratch. Featuring gorgeous protein packed beluga lentils this recipe is a family favorite, naturally vegan and can easily be made WFPB oil-free while still packing on the flavor.
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Build the ultimate manwich with these sloppy lentils packed with fantastic mouth watering flavor and nutrition. Be extra by serving on grilled buns rubbed with garlic and piled up high with your favorite toppings: dill pickles, coleslaw, pickled red onions or spicy jalapeños for the brave. Don’t forget the chips for crunch!
About the Lentils
Black Beluga lentils otherwise known as vegan caviar are my favorites to use here. Besides being the most nutrient dense of all, they are smaller in size and keep a nice firm texture during cooking so they won’t turn to mush like their red cousins. A good alternative to use here would be French Puy lentils which also maintain an exceptional hearty texture and don’t become mushy, however they could take longer to cook than Beluga, up to 40 minutes. If you really don’t want to cook your own lentils from scratch and/or are pressed for time, by all means use the canned ones but remember: from scratch is so much better!
The Sloppy Sauce
- Aromatics – It starts with the classic suspects to build a deep layer of flavor: onion, garlic, bell pepper and my secret ingredient: salty brined capers.
- Flavor Builders – A rich tomato paste, creamy dijon mustard and a touch of maple syrup balanced by a a little red wine vinegar creates your second layer of umami flavor. Season with umami shoyu or tamari in lieu of salt and just because it’s better.
- Spices – Onion and garlic powders followed by a touch of both smoked paprika and chili to awaken the taste buds.
- Ketchup – The cult classic American recipe is heavily based on ketchup as the major component of the sauce, so use the best cleanest one you can find. Alternatively be wild and free as yours truly and opt for a thick homemade tomato sauce like Marinara or spicy Arrabiata instead. It’s a nice more luxurious swap for the foodies in your life.
- BBQ Variation: Add in 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and simmer down the sloppy sauce until thickened to your liking. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on top.
About the Buns
Burger buns are the classic way to serve these sandwiches, for a less sloppy presentation you can use hot dog buns instead. Go for multigrain or sesame buns here for esthetics. To enhance the flavor of the final dish I like to grill the inside of the buns and rub it with a garlic clove bruschetta style before piling up my saucy sloppy lentils and toppings. Always a crowd pleaser!
Toppings Ideas
This is your moment to go wild! I like to start with a nice leaf of butter lettuce on the bottom of the bun to serve much like a green plate for the lentils, then finish with my purple cabbage apple coleslaw and slices of pickles for the nostalgia factor. It’s nice with tons of rainbow pickled cauliflower on the side or piled up high with pickled red onions. A few salt and vinegar chips on the side would make for the perfect crunch.
On Storage
This is a great recipe to be made ahead and that tastes better the next day just like a stew after the flavors have had a chance to marry. It reheats beautifully and makes for a really hearty meal to come home to on a busy weeknight. Store in lidded airtight containers in the fridge up to 5 days just because I’m not the FDA, but I’m sure day 7 is just as good. Alternatively freeze for up to 4 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a skillet or the microwave oven.
Lentil Recipes
- Vegan Coconut Lentil Soup
- Best Lentil Loaf
- Red Lentil Stew
- Vegan Split Pea Soup
- Sweet Potato Lentil Stew
- Lentil Salad
- Yellow Split Pea Soup.
How to Make Lentil Sloppy Joes
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups black Beluga lentils (or French lentils)
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
- 2 Tbsp capers (brined + roughly chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste double concentrated
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp chili powder + more to taste
- 3 Tbsp shoyu or tamari
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup ketchup (or a great tomato sauce like Marinara or Arrabiatta)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 buns for serving
Instructions
- Pick through and rinse your lentils. Add them to a medium saucepan and cover with 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, add the bay leaf and a pinch of salt and partially cover with a lid. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander, discard bay and set aside.1.5 cups black Beluga lentils, 1 bay leaf
- While your lentils are cooking preheat a large high sided skillet on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil (use water for WFPB compliance). Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until completely softened. Add the maple syrup and continue cooking until the onion begins to caramelize and get a nice golden color all over. Stir in the bell pepper and cook a few more minutes until its tarts to soften.1 medium yellow onion, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 red bell pepper
- Push the aromatics towards the sides of the skillet and drizzle a little olive oil in the center. Drop the garlic and capers in the hot oil and cook just until fragrant, 40 seconds or so. Give everything a mix.2 Tbsp capers, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the onion, paprika and chili powder and stir, then mix in the tomato paste, mustard, ketchup, shoyu, vinegar and water. Bring everything to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes for the flavors to marry. Taste and adjust seasonings with more chili powder and balance out the tanginess to your liking with a little more vinegar or alternatively another teaspoon of maple syrup if the sauce is too tangy for your taste.3 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, 1-2 tsp red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp chili powder + more to taste, 3 Tbsp shoyu or tamari, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup water
- Stir in about 3/4 of the cooked lentils and make sure to coat them all over in the sauce. If you find this consistency too saucy then add the rest of the lentils, otherwise reserve them for later to add to a salad or a soup etc.1.5 cups black Beluga lentils
- Serving: Grill the inside of the buns on a cast iron griddle until nice grill marks form then rub with a garlic clove. Spoon the sloppy lentils over each bun and top with the finely shredded red cabbage, classic pickles, coleslaw, butter lettuce and a slice of vegan smoked gouda or provolone. Nice alongside a few salt and vinegar potato chips.12 buns for serving
Video
Notes
- Ketchup - The cult classic American recipe is heavily based on ketchup as the major component of the sauce, so use the best cleanest one you can find it. Alternatively be wild and free as yours truly and opt for a thick homemade tomato sauce like Marinara or spicy Arrabiata instead. It's a nice more luxurious swap for the foodies in your life.
- BBQ Variation - Add in 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and simmer down the sloppy sauce until thickened to your liking. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on top.
- On Storage - Store in lidded airtight containers in the fridge up to 5 days just because I'm not the FDA, but I'm sure day 7 is just as good. Alternatively freeze for up to 4 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a skillet or the microwave oven.
I’m so happy to report these sloppy joes were outstanding, a winner with the kids too, thank you for sharing your recipe Florentina. J love how clear the instructions are with the ingredients listed under every step.