No way, a Lentil Sloppy Joe, impossible! It’s true, and it’s delicious. We eat meatless meals in our diet simply because the body doesn’t need meat every single day so we opt for alternatives like lentils. In our house you will normally find red and green lentils that we typically pick up at Food Basics or our local Indian shop.
One of our favourite side dishes is simple red lentils and rice which we serve with fish as a Good Friday Meal. When I came up with my version of the Sloppy Joe it quickly became a hit in our house and many of our fans enjoy it as well. We were tired of spending money buying convenience spice packets or pre-made cans to make the everyday frugal comfort foods that most families enjoy.
When you read the ingredients on the packets it’s obvious to see that you too can easily create a recipe similar to the original if you use your imagination. Meatless Sloppy Lentil Joes is simply a switch up using lentils instead of meat. I used my original Sloppy Joe Recipe to make this one but I found I needed to add more spices, ketchup and vinegar to get the taste just right.
You may find you will adjust flavours as well. Sure you will miss the fat taste from the meat so be prepared for that but otherwise we served this on a homemade bap (bun) topped with plain yogurt (or sour-cream) and old cheddar cheese with a side of tangy dill pickles.
What Are Lentils?
A lentil is a pulse bean” an annual plant in the legume family that grows in pods with 2 lens-shaped seeds in each. Friends of ours who originate from India eat plenty of lentils as they don’t eat meat and in fact it’s a staple in their diet. Lentils are a great source of protein but without the costs of meat.
Thinking back when I did the welfare food challenge in 2012 my friend Steve picked up a bag of lentils and I picked up black beans. If I could go back I would have done the same as Steve as that was a cheap way of adding protein to the diet.
I grew up around the Indian cuisine and had many friends who were of the Indian culture so I was exposed to lentils from an early age eating over at their homes for dinner. I also went on a holiday to India where Indian cuisine was brought to life through smell, flavour and textures.
I have a tendency to throw myself out there to learn about culture and cuisine when travelling because food is what brings people together. Lentils come in various sizes and colours such as green, brown,red, black, yellow and many others which I have had the liberty of trying in various meals.
Lentil Nutrition
Lentils are used in cuisines all over the world and one thing we learned from our friend was that you can sprout lentils. In fact last time we were at her house she showed us her sprouts, amazing little things and we learned about black chickpeas.
She puts them in a container with a bit of water, covers them and lets them sprout as she said it changes the texture and according to wikipedia it changes the nutritional content adding “essential amino acids” and “30% of their value comes from protein and have the third highest value in protein next to the soybean and hemp“.
I’m not a lentil pro so the research I’m doing today is not only educating myself but I hope that you learn something about the lentil and use it in your meals. Lentils also contain “fibre, B1, folate and minerals” so you can’t go wrong when you choose lentils as part of your diet.
Indian Lentil Dal
It’s taken me some time to get the wife into lentils but now she can’t get enough of them and always so inquisitive asking for recipes from our friend. When we visit our friend the smell of cumin and turmeric permeates the house and it’s just lovely, reminds me of real Indian cuisine.
Typically our friend will use the pressure cooker (we can be sure to hear the swish of steam when we visit sometimes we think it sounds like a science experiment in the kitchen) to cook them faster (we don’t have one) or she puts her lentils or any dry bean in the slow cooker and lets them cook on low all day until they are done.
We thought that was a brilliant idea as we had never thought of it. She then saute’s cumin seeds in oil then adds onion, garlic, green chili, coriander, turmeric, chopped tomato then adds in the lentils.
She explains to us that this is the equivalent of a stew which they call Dal and she serves it with a homemade Naan bread or a flat bread she makes with flour and water. I’ve made Dal on many occasions and tried different versions of Dal in India and the UK as I just love it. We don’t prefer the hot chilis and we use cumin spice instead of seed but it seems it is traditional.
We also make our own bread a simple tortilla recipe which is essentially the same thing or we serve it with Basmati rice. Next time I make the Dal I will post the recipe on the blog for all of you. I’m sure you will love it if you like lentils.
Mr.CBB’s Meatless Sloppy Lentil Joes
Feeds: 4-6 people
Lentil Sloppy Joe Ingredients
- 2 cups of dry green lentils (I used green and tried red lentils just be careful as the red tend to soften quick)
- 1 can tomato paste 60z
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoons of dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon of dry basil
- 3/4 cup of Tomato Ketchup
- 3/4 cup of water (add more if needed to make the mix consistent)
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 1 large green or red pepper chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine
- 5 tablespoons of brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
How To Make Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Add your green lentils to a medium pot filled with water and boil until just tender. Don’t over-cook them or they will be mushy. Drain them under cold water.
- In a frying pan add the olive oil, onions, green pepper, garlic, and sautee
- Add in all the spices and stir – basil, salt, pepper, mustard, paprika, cumin, oregano
- Add in the tomato paste and ketchup
- Add in the water, vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce
- Add in the brown sugar and mix
- Add in your cooked, drained lentils and gently stir
- Let simmer for 15-20 minutes to let the flavours come together
- Serve on hot fresh baps (buns)
- Optional: top with plain yogurt, sour-cream, cheddar cheese
- Enjoy!
What other ways do you enjoy serving your Lentil Sloppy Joes?
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