It's easy to make vegetarian sloppy joes using brown lentils and a handful of flavorful pantry staples! These sloppy joes are packed with plant-based protein, flavor, and are perfect for lunch or dinner.
These vegetarian sloppy joes taste just like childhood, minus the meat! They're also packed with protein and fiber, but they don't skimp on that classic sweet and savory sloppy joe sauce.
Sloppy joes are really easy to put together using inexpensive but flavorful pantry staples. This is the meal to make when you're looking for easy and healthy comfort food!
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Why this recipe works
- Quick & easy: The lentil sloppy joe filling is made in one pot in just 30 minutes.
- Ultra-flavor: This recipe uses dry lentils that cook directly in the sloppy joe sauce, which means that each bite is filled with flavor.
- Nostalgic and nutritious: This is classic comfort food without any shortcuts. Just because we're taking a classic meaty recipe and making it vegetarian doesn't mean we're straying from that classic sweet sloppy joe sauce.
- Pantry-friendly: This is a great recipe to keep ingredients on hand for, because all of the ingredients are pantry staples. It's also a pretty budget-friendly recipe.
Looking for a more hands-off option? Check out my Instant Pot sloppy joes if you're looking for an Instant Pot version.
Ingredients
- Brown or green lentils: These lentils take about 20 minutes to cook. Don't use red or orange lentils as those will cook up much more quickly and get mushy.
- BBQ sauce: I prefer a sweet BBQ sauce for sloppy joes because it is the most traditional flavor. That being said, this is a great place to make this recipe your own by using your favorite BBQ sauce!
- Sloppy joe sauce: This is comprised of a few pantry staples like ketchup, Dijon mustard (I use whole grain mustard because I love the flavor best, but any mustard will do), chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Traditional Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian or vegan, but many store-brand kinds are accidentally vegan.
- Ketchup can be replaced with tomato sauce if desired, but note that the sloppy joes will be slightly less sweet.
- Add-ins: I add diced onion and carrots for flavor and extra veggies. Bell pepper and celery would also go well. You can skip this step if you don't have any fresh produce on hand.
Step-by-step instructions
- Sauté veggies. Start by heating a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Add diced onions and carrots to the hot oil. Sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Cook the lentils: Add all of the ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce, to the pot. Stir to combine well. Bring the pot to a rapid simmer over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer: Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the liquid is fully absorbed and the lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Add BBQ sauce: Just before serving stir in ½ cup of the BBQ sauce. You can add more if you prefer saucier sloppy joes!
Cassidy's tips
- Assembly: I love serving vegetarian sloppy joes with pickles, lettuce, and tomato on a hamburger bun for a classic option. You can also serve the sandwiches open-faced or use sandwich bread.
- The lentil filling also works great as a taco filling with tahini coleslaw and pickled onions.
- Buy canned or pre-cooked lentils to make this recipe in just 15 minutes! You will need about 3 cups of cooked lentils.
- Try using meatless grounds (AKA vegan beef) in place of lentils for a more traditional sloppy joe.
FAQ
Yes! Simply choose a gluten-free BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
Yes, canned lentils can be used in place of dry. You will need about 3 cups of cooked lentils. Omit the vegetable broth and simply stir all of the sauce ingredients together, then simmer on low to marry the flavors.
I do not recommend using red or orange lentils because they cook much more quickly than brown lentils and have a much softer texture. They work better in lentil patties, red lentil stew, and red lentil casserole.
Storage tips
- Storage: Keep refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, or reheat in the microwave in about 2 minutes.
- How to freeze: Let cool to room temperature before transferring to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
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Recipe
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Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green or brown lentils rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce vegan
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 and ½ cups reduced sodium vegetable broth or water
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 5 burger buns
- optional toppings: lettuce, onion, pickles, avocado, tomato
Instructions
- Heat a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Add diced onion and diced carrot to the hot olive oil. Saute until onion is softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute a minute more, until garlic is golden.
- Add all ingredients except for the BBQ sauce: ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower to a simmer over medium-low. Cover and let simmer until lentils are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once lentils are cooked through, turn off the heat and stir in ½ cup barbecue sauce. Add additional sauce as desired.
- Serve on burger buns with optional toppings. Refrigerate in a closed container for up to 5-6 days.
Notes
- How to freeze: Add cooled (it should no longer be steaming) lentil sloppy joe filling to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge before using or heat up in the microwave or stove for quick use.
- Storage and reheating: Keep refrigerate in a closed container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave in about 2 minutes.
MARYELLEN GLORIE says
Made this for the first time today, exactly as written. It was excellent!!! I served it on toasted burger buns with romaine, extra onion, and ketchup. Really easy to put together, no special ingredients, and ready in less than an hour. Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
Thanks for the review! 🙂
Andrea Ujvari says
I have made this multiple times in the past. I love this recipe. I also made it from black-eyed peas, due to family allergy to lentils. I also made it in my instant pot which makes it even easier.
Cassidy Reeser says
I love that you made it with black eyed peas, I'll have to try that out! Thanks for the review.