I first made these lentil sloppy joes when I was cooking for Alouette. This was the fourth day on set and it was possibly the most well-received meal I had made. The hardcore meat lovers were so ecstatic about it that they didn’t complain when they had the leftovers (I had made a MASSIVE pot of it that used an entire bag of lentils) for breakfast and lunch the following day.
They have a rich baked-bean flavour: robust, sweet, yet savory. They have the perfect softness and messiness that traditional Sloppy Joes need. They’re filling and full of great protein and fibre (as lentils are apt to do), but they don’t weigh you down with that drowsy kind of full that makes you want to just lie on the couch while your body processes the amount of food you just ate.
It’s a filling that’s comforting, warming, and yet you feel light enough to go for a nice walk (even in these temperatures).
Now I made these lentil sloppy joes with Rickard’s Red, a robust dark ale with a hint of sweetness complemented by a woody bitterness. I’m not typically a fan of dark beers, but I really loved the complexity the beer gave to the lentils. However, if you prefer not to cook with booze, feel free to substitute the liquid with vegetable broth. That’s how I made it for the cast and crew of Alouette and they loved it.
If you want to make these for a St. Patty’s themed meal, I think Guinness to replace the water/beer would be really interesting. The dark, sweetness of Guinness would marry well with molasses.
For my fellow Canucks, Happy Family Day! For everyone else, just have a nice ol’ Monday =)
Recipe adapted from Oh My Veggies
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
For the lentils
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 3 tbsp tamari (buy GF-labelled one to keep GF)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups pureed canned tomatoes (alternatively you can use tomato sauce or tomato soup)
- 3 cups dark ale* (I used Rickard's Red, or you can just use vegetable broth)
- 2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
- 1 1/2 cup green lentils lentils, picked through and rinsed
Serve with
- Hamburger buns (use gluten-free if you need to)
- Crunchy veggies like carrots and celery to contrast the texure
Instructions
- Saute chopped onions over medium heat with olive oil until translucent. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, tamari, and garlic powder. Once onions are cooked, add brown sugar mixture, canned tomatoes, beer, water, and lentils and cover.
- Once the mixture is bubbling, lower to minimum heat, cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the lentils have absorbed all the water and are thickened, at least 45 minutes. You may need to add more water and cook longer in case the lentils are still hard. On a gas stove, this took me around 45 minutes, on a coil stove, I probably cooked for another 20 minutes.
- Serve on toasted hamburger buns with veggies and a glass of chilled beer =)
Notes
*To keep this gluten-free, either use GF dark ale, or just use vegetable broth instead.
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
I love the ale in these! What a great idea! And molasses! Yumm…
Lisa Le says
Thanks Katie =) They’re kinda like baked beans!
Alex says
I can’t stress enough how much I love this recipe. I was one of the hardcore meat lovers on the set of Alouette who was pleasantly surprised by “meatiness” of this dish. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to regular sloppy joes.
I used Mill Street Stout instead of Rickards, (because LCBO didn’t have Rickards and Guinness was too expensive for me ahahaha….) but the result was a perfect blend of savoury and sweet!
The recipe posted here says 45 minutes cook time, but my batch took an hour and a half to cook, plus an extra half cup of water. At the 45 minute point when my lentil chili still looked like lentil soup, I desperately messaged Lisa asking what I had done wrong, and she explained that coil wire stoves cook slower than gas ones. So basically just keep cooking until the liquids all obsorbed!
You won’t be disappointed by this one. It’s crazy easy and crazy delicious.
Lisa@ Cooking with Curls says
I am thoroughly intrigued by these Lisa! I can’t stand Guinness, unless it is in food, so I will give it a try. :)
MK says
Just a heads up, Guinness isn’t vegan or vegetarian! Fish byproducts are used in its processing. There are a handful of websites that are super handy for determining whether your beer is vegan or not, but I know many of the mass-produced English and Irish ones (Sorry, Newcastle!) are not vegetarian-friendly.
That aside, I think I know what I’m making for the superbowl! Go Pats!
Lisa Le says
Oh I had no idea Guinness wasn’t vegan! I always forget to check these kinds of things, but I know that some wines and beers use fish to refine it. Thanks for letting me know =)
Doober says
I love sloppy lentils. I also prefer not to call them Joes since it isn’t nice to cut up anyone named Joe to put into anyone’s food. :))