Lentil Joe's
I grew up eating the real-deal Sloppy Joe's (a.k.a. "Manwich") and I'm not gonna lie... they were one of my favorites! But as my eating habits shifted, Sloppy Joe's just kind of fell off the radar.
It's one of those "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" kind of things. I didn't see them so I didn't think about them UNTIL I saw this recipe.
Yep. You read it right. This is a "Sloppy Joe" without the meat, preservatives, additives, etc. It's a real, whole, unprocessed, whole-food, lentil-based Sloppy Joe (hence the name... Lentil Joe's). And let me tell you something... they're really good!
I wasn't sure if I was gonna like lentils on bread. I don't know. It just sounded kind of heavy to me but having the fighting spirit that I do, I figured I'd better try it before I knocked it. And so right on top of a kaiser roll the lentils went (I wanted to buy a whole grain roll, but when I saw the mini kaisers I thought they would be a better road to travel... the mini-sized roll was perfect). And just for the record, lentils on bread do work... they work really well.
I was actually very surprised at just how well this meal worked. I was a bit of a skeptic going in, I thought to myself, "c'mon, can lentils with some tomato sauce and maple syrup really replace ground beef smothered in whatever-it-is-that-comes-in-the-manwich-can?". Is that possible?
The answer is yes! Yes. yes. and yes. It was an ooey, gooey, comforting sandwich that absolutely hit the spot. And if you really want to round out the meal, do what I did, and serve it along with a nice big side of Kale Chips (to die for!). So freakin' good!
I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of what I did with the leftovers... but just to give you some ideas, one night I spread the Lentil Joe's over some baked tortilla chips along with some light, shredded cheese to make a Lentil Joe's Nacho plate and another night I mixed them into some whole grain pasta tossed with some simply steamed broccoli. Both of these were awesome and really quick meals to make (and rather tasty if I do say so myself).
*I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe's (which is a huge time-saver) and that is the way my recipe is written out BUT if you are making lentils from scratch, you might want to check out the original recipe for a little extra guidance.
**I have a feeling that if you were in a real pinch you could probably make this meal work by using a can of lentil soup.
It's one of those "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" kind of things. I didn't see them so I didn't think about them UNTIL I saw this recipe.
Yep. You read it right. This is a "Sloppy Joe" without the meat, preservatives, additives, etc. It's a real, whole, unprocessed, whole-food, lentil-based Sloppy Joe (hence the name... Lentil Joe's). And let me tell you something... they're really good!
I wasn't sure if I was gonna like lentils on bread. I don't know. It just sounded kind of heavy to me but having the fighting spirit that I do, I figured I'd better try it before I knocked it. And so right on top of a kaiser roll the lentils went (I wanted to buy a whole grain roll, but when I saw the mini kaisers I thought they would be a better road to travel... the mini-sized roll was perfect). And just for the record, lentils on bread do work... they work really well.
I was actually very surprised at just how well this meal worked. I was a bit of a skeptic going in, I thought to myself, "c'mon, can lentils with some tomato sauce and maple syrup really replace ground beef smothered in whatever-it-is-that-comes-in-the-manwich-can?". Is that possible?
The answer is yes! Yes. yes. and yes. It was an ooey, gooey, comforting sandwich that absolutely hit the spot. And if you really want to round out the meal, do what I did, and serve it along with a nice big side of Kale Chips (to die for!). So freakin' good!
I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of what I did with the leftovers... but just to give you some ideas, one night I spread the Lentil Joe's over some baked tortilla chips along with some light, shredded cheese to make a Lentil Joe's Nacho plate and another night I mixed them into some whole grain pasta tossed with some simply steamed broccoli. Both of these were awesome and really quick meals to make (and rather tasty if I do say so myself).
*I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe's (which is a huge time-saver) and that is the way my recipe is written out BUT if you are making lentils from scratch, you might want to check out the original recipe for a little extra guidance.
**I have a feeling that if you were in a real pinch you could probably make this meal work by using a can of lentil soup.
Lentil Joe's
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup of cooked lentils
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano
A pinch of cayenne pepper
2 cups of crushed tomatoes
1/4-cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
8 small Kaiser rolls or sesame buns
Directions
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over a medium high heat. Add the onion and pepper and sauté for about eight minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and sauté another couple of minutes.Add the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper and then stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for another ten minutes or so (if it looks a little dry, or if you just want it extra gooey, add some extra tomatoes and/or a few splashes of water). Stir in maple syrup and mustard and cook another two minutes or so.
Spoon a ½ cup of the Lentil Joes onto a mini Kaiser roll. Enjoy!!
Makes 8 servings.
Nutritional Analysis
Calories: 233; Total Fat: 2.5g; Saturated Fat: 0.1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 213mg; Carbohydrate: 43.3g; Dietary Fiber: 7.5; Sugars: 8.4g; Protein: 10.6
Other recipes you may enjoy:
Homemade Sloppy Joe's from Pinch My Salt
Stuffed Sloppy Joe Loaf from Little Calorie
Curried Rice and Lentils from Kalyn's Kitchen
Quick and Simple Lentils w/ Dandelion Greens from DaniSpies
Vegetarian Lentil Burgers from 101 CookBooks
Homemade Sloppy Joe's from Pinch My Salt
Stuffed Sloppy Joe Loaf from Little Calorie
Curried Rice and Lentils from Kalyn's Kitchen
Quick and Simple Lentils w/ Dandelion Greens from DaniSpies
Vegetarian Lentil Burgers from 101 CookBooks
- Filed under Beans, Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches, Vegan, Vegetarian
- Tagged with Lentils, Sandwiches
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- 7 comments
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Comments
Kalyn :
I wasn't really a Manwich fan, but this sounds good! I think it would be good in a wrap too.
posted on May 22, 2009 6:37 AM
Lulu Bee :
I have a can of Manwich. Do you think I could just mix it with lentils?
posted on May 27, 2009 1:13 PM
Lynn (The Actors Diet) :
Just made this tonight (an adapted version - see blog) It was delicious and that maple syrup really makes the dish!
posted on June 17, 2009 11:47 PM
Krista :
Yum!!! I used to use the filling from your stuffed acorn squash recipe, with a little more sauce, as sloppy joe's - yummmm as well - I love that filling!
posted on July 7, 2009 6:23 PM
Becky :
Wow! Yum! Quite tasty. With food like this I could go vegetarian pretty easily!
posted on July 13, 2009 6:00 PM
Krista :
Thanks for including ideas for leftovers with this recipe - I love having leftovers and loved the different ideas. The nachos were delicious!
posted on July 17, 2009 4:12 PM
Dee :
What lentils do you use?
Red? Green? Yellow?
posted on February 14, 2010 11:28 PM