Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

These vegetarian sloppy joes are so delicious! They have a delicious sauce, and are made with hearty, protein packed, lentils and chickpeas. They are a great meal for anyone who loves sloppy joes!

These sloppy joes are sure to be a hit with everyone, not just vegetarians. I made mine in the Instant Pot but I’ve also included instructions to make them in a slow cooker. Either way they are super easy and absolutely delicious! Lentils are an amazing ingredient that are the perfect swap for ground beef in these sloppy joes. They pair really well with chickpeas to create a great texture that goes really well on a sandwich!

These can be made with ingredients you probably have on hand and they are a great recipe to keep your pantry stocked so that you can make any time!

I haven’t eaten meat for several years now. When I first turned vegetarian I wasn’t sure that it was something that would stick. It’s sometimes hard to do, especially when my boys still eat meat. I knew that there would be some things that I would miss.

But honestly, I haven’t missed much at all, and the longer I’ve gone without eating it the less I want it.

However, recently someone mentioned sloppy joes, and I thought about how much I used to love them!

So I set out on a mission to create a vegetarian version that would be loved by everyone in my family. In addition to being tasty anything I cook has to be filling because boys eat SO MUCH!

These were a hit, they definitely satisfied my sloppy joe hankering, the boys loved them, and the leftovers made a perfect lunch the next day.

I love topping mine with pickles and a slice of American cheese, my kids love sliced onions on theirs. Pretty much however you love to eat your sloppy joe you’ll love to eat these!

Here’s What You’ll Need For These Vegetarian Sloppy Joes-

2- Cans Chickpeas

1 1/2- tsp Diced Garlic (3 cloves)

1- Medium Sized Onion (Finely Diced)

1/2- Cup Dried Lentils

12-15 oz Can Tomato Sauce

1/2- Cup Water

1/4- Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4- Cup Brown Sugar

3- Tbsp Vegetarian Worchestershire Sauce

1- tsp Brown Mustard

1/2 – tsp Salt

1- Tbsp Olive Oil

Pour your olive oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot and add the onions and garlic and salt. Using the saute feature cook your onions and garlic for about 5 minutes.

If using a slow cooker you can use it’s saute feature if it has one, or saute your onions and garlic in a small pan then add them to the slow cooker.

Add in your chickpeas, tomato sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce, mustard and lentils.

Stir until everything is well incorporated.

Using the manual setting set your Instant Pot on high for 20 minutes. Then allow to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release.

If using a slow cooker set to low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Once it is done cooking you can mash the mixture slightly with a potato masher or I like to use my Pampered Chef Mix & Chop . You don’t have to it just helps break up the chickpeas a little.

Once it’s finished you can serve it up on buns with your favorite sloppy joe toppings and enjoy!

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