I sort of forgot about sloppy joes until Terry reminded me of them!
They bring back a lot of childhood memories, which I feel like every food blogger says… LOL. But here we are, with a yummy recipe for Vegan Sloppy Joes, because they should never be forgotten!
Terry is the biggest foodie I know. Food brings him happiness and while I love food, I’m not as particular as he is. I’m more easy going and am fine with eating roasted broccoli for dinner. He is not! I don’t blame him and his 220 pound body, I get it. This just means my lazy dinners don’t work for him and I need to make more “fun” dinners like these vegan sloppy joes!
He keeps me on my creative toes as far as food and recipes, which is good for everyone, especially the blog!
I wanted to have my own sloppy joe recipe that I could come back to, especially because summer and sloppy joes go hand in hand, no? I think I’ll be making these a lot in the coming months! And also my Spicy Black Bean Burgers too, because YUM.
These are made with lentils (I used canned lentils to make my life even easier) and I snuck in some veggies too – zucchini, diced up really small. I’m trying to sneak in veggies whenever I can, for all those essential micronutrients. Zucchini is perfect because it’s versatile and can take on any flavor. It’s high in vitamin A too, which is especially important for vision and immunity! It’s also rich in antioxidants and water to help keep us hydrated, and is rich in volume to help keep us full and turn off our hunger hormones.
Then we have lentils which are rich in fiber (15 g per cup) and protein (17 g per cup), as I mentioned earlier, but also polyphenols, folate, iron and manganese and many other minerals! Adding lentils into your weekly meals is a great way to cover your nutrition bases, especially if you are vegan or plant-based.
Let’s get to the recipe!
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Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4–5 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Description
Vegan Sloppy Joes. A smoky, savory and simple plant-based delicious anytime meal that is sure to please. Full of protein and fiber for a hearty sloppy joe!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of salt and pepper
1 zucchini, shredded or finely diced
1 1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 15-ounce cans of lentils, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or maple syrup)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1/2 – 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
*hamburger buns of your choice
avocado slices (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pan (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Sautè for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onions are slightly browned.
Next add the shredded zucchini and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until soft.
Stir in the tomato sauce, lentils, ketchup, coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, tamari, hot sauce, chili powder and paprika. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a slow boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, to let the flavors come together.
Do a taste test and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt, chili powder, hot sauce, maple syrup, etc., as needed!
Serve the mixture on toasted buns with avocado.
Enjoy!
Notes
*Can also be made in the slow cooker/crock pot! Just add all ingredients to the slow cooker, mix and set on high or low, depending on how much time you have!
**Leftover sloppy joe mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: vegan sloppy joes, vegan sloppy joe recipe, easy sloppy joe recipe, healthy vegan sloppy joes, lentil sloppy joes
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the whole family and non plant based eaters love this.
★★★★★
Tried these last night and they were AMAZING! I used dry lentils and just threw all of the ingredients into a pot. I ended up needing to use some extra tomato sauce and water in order to cook the dry lentils. Great recipe, Shannon!
Aw thank you Hailey!! So happy you liked them 🙂 and thank you for sharing that you used dry lentils, I think that can help out anyone else who also wants to use dry lentils!
I always thought that sloppy joes sounded gross, but this recipe sounds delicious!! Thanks for sharing, hope you’re having a lovely day.
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
★★★★★
Thanks Kate!! Hope you’re having a great day too!