Looking for a vegan version of a classic childhood favorite? Check out these easy to make sloppy joe lentils.
Sloppy Joe Lentils
Does anyone else have memories of bad food from their childhood? But like bad in a good, nostalgic way? For me it’s the school lunch flavors of canned green beans and sloppy joes. Not really good food, but it tastes so familiar. So with that in mind, I’ve made a vegan version of sloppy joe lentils that tastes nostalgic with some elevation (we’re putting wine in it!)
Let’s talk about why lentils make a good ground meat substitute. Lentils have 17g of protein per cup which makes them one of the beans/ legumes for protein. They also look visually like ground meat, and they have the right texture to be shaped into meatballs and patties. You can check out this recipe for lentil meatballs next. Finally, they are a great source of fiber (16g per cup) which many people struggle to eat enough of. So even if you wanted to use have ground meat and half lentils, you could incorporate more fiber into your meal. Fiber is great for digestive health and it can help keep you full longer and lower cholesterol. Plus, it acts as a prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in your gut!
Building Flavor
For this recipe we are going to begin with sautéing carrots, celery, and onion. This combo may look familiar to you because it is the base of many French dishes. The combo is called mirepoix, and it adds a nice aromatic base to out dish. Another way that we can add flavor into this dish is to cook our lentils in vegetable broth. You could cook your lentils in water, but then they may not have as much flavor and may taste more bland. We are also going to cook the lentils with some bay leaves. You may have seen these dried leaves before, but they have a light floral taste like other leafy herbs like thyme and oregano. However, you do not eat the dried bay leaves. You let the flavor infuse while cooking and then remove the leaf. And you better remember to salt you food and taste it to see if you need more!
Finally, we will build flavor by adding in some red wine. Red wine pairs well with tomato sauce, and it gives a deep and complex flavor. You can skip this step if you do not consume any alcohol or sub in 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Seriously, even if you are not a huge wine drinker, I highly recommend getting a cheap bottle of red wine to keep on hand for tomato-based recipes and a bottle of white wine for risotto and cream-based recipes. Cooking with wine removes the alcohol, but leaves the wine flavor that will make your dishes taste like you know how to cook! It’s one of my favorite tricks.
Check out the full recipe below and serve these sloppy joe lentils on a toasted bun (I love Canyon Bakehouse), with rice, on a baked potato, or whatever else you’re felling!
Sloppy Joe Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils dried
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tbsp neutral oil
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato paste 6 oz.
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ cup red wine
- Red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a pot, add the lentils, vegetable broth, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft. any excess liquid will be used in the recipe.
- Dice the onion, celery, and carrot into similar sized pieces. Aim for about 1/2 cup of each, but this will depend on the size of your vegetables.
- In a pan over medium heat, add a neutral oil. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and saute until the onions begin to become translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the oregano, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the red wine.
- When the lentils are done cooking, add them to the vegetable mixture. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Let the lentil mixture cook and thicken up for about 5 minutes. Taste the lentils and adjust the seasoning to your preference.