Slow-Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
These meatless plant-based slow-cooker lentil Sloppy Joes will be a new keeper recipe for you!
I’ve received so many rave reviews about them!
Say hello to your new favorite easy, cheap and crowd-pleasing dinner idea!
The Comments
“Yum! Our neighbor brought this to us for dinner after we had a baby. It is the best lentil sloppy Joe recipe. I’ve tried quite a few and none have been worthy of repeat but we love this one. I have been making triple batches in my instant pot to freeze for quick dinners. Ive added zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms to sneak in more veggies. Definitely a keeper! Thanks Faith!” —Mallory M.
“These Sloppy Joe’s are so delicious! My husband and 6 year old loved them as much as I did. I used a can of crushed tomato instead of tomato sauce because it was all I had. I also finely grated 2 medium carrots and added those and 1/2 cup finely minced green bell pepper and it turned out great. I also added 1/2 cup red lentils instead of walnuts. Very hearty and filling. It will be made on the regular at our house. Thanks for all these fantastic recipes!” –Jennifer S.
Convenience and Nutrition Meets Deliciousness!
I have received texts from friends and comments in person about this recipe. Just last week a friend texted me (and I quote!), “Wowie wow wow!!! I made the lentil sloppy joes. SOOO GOOD!!!!! Honestly BEST sloppy joes I’ve ever had…”
Overall this recipe is a winner because it is so tasty! It also uses just pantry ingredients, so you can make this without going to the store for fresh stuff. AND it’s a slow-cooker meal, which gives you, the cook, the joy of being happily surprised when dinner is ready, just like everyone else who shows up to dinner ready each night.
Budget-Friendly Sloppy Joes
If the convenience wasn’t enough, this recipe is very cheap to make. I got out my receipt and calculator and I estimate this to end up being about 64 cents a serving. For a healthy recipe, that’s very cheap! I think anything less than $1 a serving is pretty good, for a whole-foods recipe.
1 cup lentils (.98/lb) $0.50
1 onion (.38/lb) .30
2 cans tomato sauce (.46 each) .92
8 whole wheat hamburger buns $1.68
1/2 cup walnuts ($5.40/lb) .90
spices, mustard, syrup, garlic, etc estimated about .75
Total $5.05 for 8 servings = 64 cents per sloppy joe.
(If you leave out the walnuts, and use brown sugar instead of pure maple syrup, it’s more like 50 cents a serving).
While this recipe is forgivable and adapatable, I highly recommend you don’t skip the smoked paprika or substitute it for regular paprika. It is not a spicy flavor that kids won’t like, it just gives these sloppy joes a deep, almost meaty flavor. The cheapest way to get spices like these is a bulk section where you scoop out however much you want.
Slow-Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or green lentils (dry)
- 1 cup vegetable broth (I use 1 tsp of vegetable Better than Bouillon in 1 cup water)
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste (half of one small can)
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 TBSP mustard (any kind)
- 3 TBSP pure maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1 TBSP vinegar (apple cider or white)
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped fine (optional, for extra texture and meatiness)
For Serving
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into slow cooker and stir together.
- Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Taste and add more chili powder or smoked paprika, if desired. Add more maple syrup or other sweetener if you'd like it sweeter.
- Serve on whole wheat hamburger buns. Can be served with additional BBQ sauce if you want them really saucy and sweet. Makes 8 sloppy joes.
Notes
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Love your recipes
Thanks so much Sheila!
Dear Faith,
thank you for this recipe! I added mushrooms and walnuts as suggested and used regular paprika, and it was delicious. No one guessed what was in it in addition to lentils, and even those didn’t trigger a ” yeah but meat would be better” reaction by my meat lovers. I used red lentils, by the way, and I think an hour or so less in the slowcooker (on the low setting) would have been fine.
Blessings!
Kat
PS: I recently started making my own burger buns, it is so easy and not very time-consuming! Maybe you want to try it.
Homemade buns sound delish! Do you have a good recipe? And yes, red lentils cook so much faster, I love that about them. Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
Oh my goodness, this was an instant hit!!! I had to come back to tell you how GOOD this turned out. My husband and toddler both loved it, which can be a hard crowd to please at times, ha! Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear this! Yay for being toddler and husband approved!
These Sloppy Joe’s are so delicious! My husband and 6 year old loved them as much as I did. I used a can of crushed tomato instead of tomato sauce because it was all I had. I also finely grated 2 medium carrots and added those and 1/2 cup finely minced green bell pepper and it turned out great. I also added 1/2 cup red lentils instead of walnuts. Very hearty and filling. It will be made on the regular at our house. Thanks for all these fantastic recipes!
So glad you enjoyed it and snuck in so many veggies!
How long would I cook this in an InstaPot?
I would do 20 minutes on high pressure with a quick or natural release. 🙂
Yum! Our neighbor brought this to us for dinner after we had a baby. It is the best lentil sloppy Joe recipe. I’ve tried quite a few and none have been worthy of repeat but we love this one. I have been making triple batches in my instant pot to freeze for quick dinners. Ive added zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms to sneak in more veggies. Definitely a keeper! Thanks Faith!
I’d like to make this for a freezer meal for my granddaughter and her family. Would I just dump all ingredients in a freezer bag for her to thaw and put into the crockpot when ready to eat? Or does it need to be cooked and then frozen?
Cook it first, then it just needs to be thawed and heated! I hope they love it!
Yum! Do you know how this would be made just on the stove without a slow cooker or instant pot?
I haven’t tried that yet but I need to! I think it would work just fine. On the stove, it would probably take about 25 minutes to cook the lentils, and in the Instant Pot I would use less liquid and cook for 15 minutes (slow or quick release). I’ll report back!