This Easy Lentil Sloppy Joes recipe is a simple vegetarian meal that’s so delicious that you’ll want to add it to your weekly rotations!
With the continuous rise in inflation and food prices sky-rocketing, now’s a great time to work on reducing food costs. Thankfully I’ve been shopping at Aldi’s for a few years now which helps a ton.
However, prices of almost everything are increasing, especially meat and poultry.
We don’t eat meat or poultry daily, but we definitely still enjoy it often. So when I do purchase it, I buy it on sale or in bulk at Sam’s Club to help keep the costs down.
With that said, this is a great time to explore more vegetarian meal ideas.
Ingredients Needed for This Lentil Sloppy Joes Recipe
- olive oil
- brown lentils
- bell pepper
- small onion
- minced garlic
- black pepper and salt
- Worcestershire sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- tomato paste
- ketchup
- hamburger buns
Simple Steps to Make This Lentil Sloppy Joes Recipe
This recipe was surprisingly very easy to create and make.
First, I cooked an entire bag of lentils. To do this, simply boil water in a medium stock pot. Then add the lentils and let them simmer, while covered, for about 15 minutes. Then drain them and set them aside.
While lentils are cooking, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the chopped onions and peppers, minced garlic salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies until they are tender.
Next, add the Worchestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, ketchup and water. Stir these ingredients well.
Let this simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Finally, stir in the lentils and you’re done!
Tips for This Recipe
After using the tomato paste, scoop it by the tablespoon onto a freezer-friendly container, and place it in the freezer. Then once frozen, remove and place them in a freezer bag for later use.
You can also cook the entire bag of lentils to save time later. I cooked the entire bag, used 2 cups in this recipe, used some in a lentil salad recipe (coming soon) and then froze the rest.
And if you want to make this vegan, just exclude the Worchestershire sauce and choose hamburger buns that are vegan-friendly.
Dietitian’s Dish
Lentils are truly a powerhouse type of food. They are packed with nutrition including a variety of important nutrients.
Per 1/2 cup cooked green lentils:
- protein = 12 grams
- fiber = 9 grams
- folate = 39 mcg
- iron = 2 mg
- potassium = 252 mg
For more information regarding lentils, check out the Harvard School of Public Health details on lentils from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Additional Chocolate Slopes Recipes Containing Lentils
This Lentil and Freekeh Salad with Feta Cheese is packed full of veggies too.
I love this Stove Top Lentil Soup that takes only 10 minutes to prep.
This Slow Cooker Lentil and Beef Stew recipe also requires minimal prep time – only 10 minutes!
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups cooked lentils (about 1 cup dry) measured after cooking
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- black pepper and salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- hamburger buns
Instructions
Cook Lentils
- Boil water in a medium stock pot.
- Once boiling, add lentils and simmer for about 15 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Drain lentils and set aside.
Sloppy Joes Sauce
- While lentils are cooking, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, peppers and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients except lentils to the skillet.
- Add lentils and simmer for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Add the sloppy joes to the hamburger buns and enjoy!
