Years ago, I dabbled in lentils. Indian spiced lentils, lentil burgers, lentil chili…all lentils all the time. One of my favorite recipes at the time was for “Snobby Joes,” or, sloppy joes made with lentils in place of ground beef. They were–they are–fantastic. Smoky and sweet and comforting while also remaining healthy and vegetarian.
If you like lentils, by all means–go ahead and make this recipe for lentil sloppy joes. Truth is, they sop up all the flavor of the spiced tomato sauce, so you’ll be left with very little earthy, lentil flavor. But if you’re not one hundred percent digging the idea of making a lentil-only dish, or if you’re just getting your family into the world of vegetarian options, this is a recipe to help you take a step in that direction.
*Similarly, if the very thought of lentils disgusts you, feel free to use all beef in this recipe.
Using half beef, half lentils means fewer calories, less fat, and lots more fiber. And, you’ll keep that lovable beefy flavor intact.
Beef and Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry lentils
- ½ pound extra lean 90% ground beef
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 15- ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 8- ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the lentils and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
- About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, start the beef: Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, crumbling the beef as it browns, until the beef is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, oregano, brown sugar, mustard, and salt.
- Bring the mixture up to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve on hamburger buns or rolls of your choice.
I like this idea a lot. My boyfriend has said I can start trying to sneak more veggie and low fat foods into his diet only on the condition that he doesn’t notice I’m doing it. If he does, the experiment stops and we go back to roast dinners four times a week, cause that’s all he cooks(eeek).
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Oh! You know Post Punk Kitchen!?! You just keep getting better and better with every post!
I did a vegetarian sloppy joe recipe from Chef Connie about a month ago… sooooo good! I’m sold on the veggie joe option. I’m going to try this with lentils (the recipe I posted called for chick peas/black beans)! I DID manage to fool my kids with the other recipe. This is goooorgeous.
I love using lentils like this. I make a similar recipe for sloppy joes and use pinto beans to cut back on meat and bulk up nutrition but next time I’ll use lentils for sure. Lentil taco “meat” is also a favorite =)
This sounds phenomenal! What a great idea. Thanks, Andie!
I cannot wait to try this dish! I have been craving sloppy joes lately and I haven’t really found a mix that I like…this sounds perfect.
I love your site, Andie, and this looks like another great dinner option. I notice that for some of the entries you list nutritional breakdowns and others you don’t. I’m working on real life while still losing weight and love the info that the nutritional breakdown gives. You may have said somewhere whether not giving a breakdown means the recipe has lots more calories, but I can’t tell. How does this recipe stack up?
I think I’d do the half lentil option but maybe I’d try ground turkey or pork instead of beef? Hmm sounds like its worth a try! My boyfriend is solidly a protien-every-meal man, so this could be a good compromise, since I’m starting to dabble in vegetable-based/vegetarian meals.
kendrrat
kendrrat.blogspot.com
Hi there,
I’m also trying to lose weight and appreciate the calorie count. FYI that this is a great resource where you can list recipe ingredients and it spits out the nutritional information, including calories: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
This sound sooooo great!
I love the veggie version so I’m sure I’m going to love this version too! :D
Yum these look great! They’d make everyone in the household happy!
Andie,
Just wondering how you are doing with counting your calories weekly? I am still counting them at every meal and try to stay within range of my budget. When I do not count I get in trouble so I wanted to see if you had any good advice.
I made these for dinners on Tuesday, the day after I read this post and I absolutely loved them! I did the half lentil half beef version. They were sweet, spicy, and left me satisfied but not overly stuffed like a normal sloppy joe does.
Thanks so much Andie!
I made this for my boyfriend tonight and we loved it! We substituted venison for ground beef which was delicious! This recipe is being added to the permanent rotation list :)
Huge hit with my family tonight!
I subbed my bread for eggplant cutlets!
Huzzah!
I made these for dinner tonight and they are AWESOME! I made a few modifications, most significant is that I used sun-dried tomato pesto instead of tomato paste (I was out). They came OUT awesome! A definite “must try”.
Just made this — incredibly easy, and quite tasty. Thank you!
I have the worlds pickiest eater that I am trying to feed….he is 11, and I am starting to lose hope This is on the cook top now so I have my fingers crossed he will like it. Keep up the great work :)
trying this one tonight!!! trying to keep the yummy recipes in with the diet stuffs :D
This recipe was my first time cooking with lentils and my husband and my first time eating them. Loved this recipe! Will definitely be using again :)
What kind of lentils do you use? I know there are several kinds/colors of lentils and just want to know what would be best for this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Cynthia! I use green lentils! But red would work, too! Good question :)
Andie
The recipe doesn’t say when to add the cooked lentils. ???
I was thinking about using moose meat… think i could use red lentils or yellow split peas?
Thanks
Haven’t made it yet, but it looks like a great receipe. However, the instructions don’t say to add the lentils at all. I assume you add them either right before or right after the garlic, but an update to the recipe would be great to avoid doubt!
Smoky and sweet are a great flavor combination, and the fact that they’re healthy and vegetarian is a huge plus. I’m definitely intrigued and may have to try this recipe!
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Wow, this really hit home. Thank you for being so honest. Your voice is needed and appreciated. Keep shining your light!
This was a good read!
If you like lentils, by all means–go ahead and make this recipe for lentil sloppy joes. Truth is, they sop up all the flavor of the spiced tomato sauce, so you’ll be left with very little earthy, lentil flavor
Nice post. Thank you to provide us this useful information.
Such a great twist on a classic Sloppy Joe recipe The combination of beef and lentils sounds hearty and satisfying and I like how simple the steps are to follow I’m excited to try this version for a healthier meal option
The Beef and Lentil Sloppy Joes look hearty and delicious I love the mix of flavors and how wholesome the lentils make the dish Perfect for an easy and comforting meal Thanks for sharing the recipe I can’t wait to try making it
hank you very much
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