Cajun-spiced smoky vegan Sloppy Joes
A sloppy joe is a traditional American sandwich filled with ground beef stewed in tomato sauce or ketchup, seasoned with onions, Worcestershire sauce and other spices. This vegan version substitutes the meat for red lentils whose texture, once cooked, resemble ground beef. It is a lean, flavourful dish that goes beautifully on a burger bun with some crunchy veggies.
Recipe taken from Vegan Richa.
Ingredients
- 150g red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 tsp oil (9g)
- 55g chopped onion
- 12g crushed garlic
- 75g chopped green bell pepper
- 120g grated carrots
- 200g grated zucchini
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
- 32g vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 85g tomato paste
- 60g ketchup
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil lentils in a saucepan while you prepare the rest. Drain and reserve.
- In a small bowl, mix tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Reserve.
- Heat up oil over medium heat in a large pan, and fry onions + capsicum until they start to get tender.
- Add grated carrots and zucchini, and keep cooking over medium heat to release most of the moisture.
- When eveything is nearly cooked, add crushed garlic and keep cooking for 2-3 min.
- Add spices and mix well.
- Add the sauces and mix well.
- Add the cooked lentils, mix well, lower heat, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 5-10 min for flavours to infuse.
- Serve over pasta, or in a sandwich with crunchy lettuce or coleslaw.