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.
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.
Notes
Afraid of lentils? Try with soy crumbles, TVP, or even real ground meat.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 129 Fat: >1g Carbohydrates: 25g Sugar: 10g Fiber: 8g Protein: 7g
[…] no amateur when it comes to swapping out meat for mushrooms or blending in with a protein like lentils, so this challenge from The Mushroom Council is right up my alley. Fun fact: When I mentioned […]
[…] no amateur when it comes to swapping out meat for mushrooms or blending in with a protein like lentils, so this challenge from The Mushroom Council is right up my alley. Fun fact: When I mentioned […]
[…] I also made one of my older recipes, sweet and savory lentil joes. […]
What type of lentils did you use? I currently have red and green in my pantry.
I’ve used green and brown.