This recipe is where I first learned to love lentils. To be fair to the legume, I think previously I had only eaten them in canned soups and weird lentil loafs. The sweetness from the molasses and tang from mustard really pull the sauce together in a I-wanna-lick-it-off-my-fingers kind of way.
I like to load up my lentil joes with extra veggies for flavor and reduced calories, but if you don’t like the addition of carrots and mushrooms, feel free to omit and cook additional lentils.
Really like veggies? I’d be lying if I said I’ve never made an all veggie sloppy joe by adding cauliflower.
Sweet and Savory Lentil Joes
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: American
Author: Kelly Hutchinson
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
1 c lentils
4 c water
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, any color
1 can tomato sauce
3 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp sage
¼ tsp basil
1 can carrots, chopped
6 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
Instructions
Start 4 c of water boiling and cook lentils while making the sauce.
Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft and fragrant.
Add all ingredients from tomato sauce through basil. Stir and bring to low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about ten mintues.
Add chopped carrots and mushrooms and mix into the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. If desired, you can mash the carrots and mushrooms into the sauce or leave in pieces. Add lentils and heat thoroughly until sauce is thick and sloppy.
Serve on a whole wheat bun, in lettuce cups, or as a wrap. I like to top mine with a slice of cheese.
What type of lentils did you use? I currently have red and green in my pantry.
I’ve used green and brown.
[…] I also made one of my older recipes, sweet and savory lentil joes. […]