Vegan Sloppy Joes (with Lentil “Meat”)

Square cropped image of a close up of a sloppy joe sandwich on a sesame seed bun with the top bun resting to the back left of the sandwich. The sandwich is garnished with a radish and pickle on a toothpick.

Vegan Sloppy Joes (with Lentil “Meat”)

These vegan sloppy joes are incredibly easy to make and create a delicious, nutritious meal that’s way better than using store-bought sauces. The recipe can be made gluten and/or soy free.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American-inspired, Vegan

Keyword Lentil sloppy joes, Vegan sloppy joes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings Sandwiches

Calories 240kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

4 cups cooked lentils (2 19 oz/ 540 mL cans, drained and rinsed)
2 cups diced tomato (1 28 oz/ 540 mL can, drained)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic , minced or crushed
4 tablespoons soy sauce , low sodium*
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Step 1: Prep Ingredients

Rinse and drain canned lentils or use fresh cooked lentils. Add to a large pot.
4 cups cooked lentils
Use a mesh strainer to drain excess liquid from a can of diced tomato. Add to the large pot with the lentils.
2 cups diced tomato
Peel and dice the onion. Peel then mince or crush the garlic.
1 cup chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic
Add onions and garlic to the large pot along with all remaining ingredients.
4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons molasses, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon dry oregano, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper

Step 2: Cook Sloppy Joes

Place the pot on your stove over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cook over high heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture has thickened – about 20 minutes. There shouldn’t be any pooling liquid in the bottom of the pan (when you scrape across the bottom, the mixture should hold its shape and not pool into the area that was just scraped).
As liquid evaporates, the mixture will thicken. It’s important to keep stirring, especially towards the end of cooking, to keep the mixture from sticking to your pot. You may want to turn the heat down to medium once most liquid is absorbed.

Step 3: Serve

Serve on fresh buns with additional toppings if desired (see above for serving ideas).

Notes

*Soy sauce can be replaced with tamari for a gluten free option. If the soy sauce/ tamari is not low sodium, you may not need the full amount of salt called for.

**Nutrition calculations performed on sloppy joe filling only. Buns and additional toppings may impact recipe nutrition amounts.

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition