Sloppy Lentils

I tried a recipe from Passionate Homemaking on Monday for sloppy lentils. They are your typical sloppy joe, only meatless. And they are delicious! I liked them better than meaty sloppy joes, actually. Kevin and Carson loved them, too. Although, Kevin said he likes his meaty joes, too. :) I took some of the leftovers over to my MIL for a dinner for her and my BIL while my FIL was gone this week and they both really liked these, too.

These were fairly simple to make, as well. I actually cooked them on Sunday so we could just reheat them on Monday for dinner. My job is insane right now, so I'm finding I have to do more prep ahead than normal if we want to eat a decent dinner.

I'll update with a picture later on.

Sloppy Lentils

3 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed (I used brown)
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2-1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3-5 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey (I used honey)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns, split

Soaking Step, optional (I did this): Allow lentils to soak overnight in warm filtered water with 2 Tablespoons acid medium (I used whey). Rinse and cook as described below.

Combine water and lentils in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cook time may depend on the type of lentil you use, too... so keep that in mind so that you don't overcook them.

Meanwhile, cook the onions in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened and are translucent. Add tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, sweetener, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.

Drain lentils and reserve cooking liquid. Stir lentils into sauce mixture, adding cooking liquid or water as needed to obtain the desired "sloppy joe" consistency. Serve on buns.

(I cooked my lentils, then drained and used the same deep pan to make the sauce so I wasn't dirtying two different pans.)