“Plus? What is this ‘plus’ business?” … I can hear it now. Well, the “plus” is LENTILS! *crowd cheers* Yes, these easy Homemade Sloppy Joes Plus have lentils for added fiber and to bulk them up a bit without bulking up the price.
I know, the idea of adding lentils to Sloppy Joes is going to make some of you squirm, but if you want regular old Manwich-style American Sloppy Joes, just make the recipe as directed below and skip adding the lentils in the last step. Without the lentils this is a very good, classic homemade sloppy joe recipe. But I gotta tell ya, it’s yummy with lentils! They add a nice texture and almost disappear visually (see photos below). Live on the edge and give lentils a shot.
What Are Sloppy Joes?
If you’re not familiar with this American classic, it’s a loose meat sandwich with a sauce that is kind of like a cross between BBQ sauce and chili. It is tomato based, tangy, sweet, and full of spices. They’re super fast to make and are quite freezer friendly! So if you make a batch of the filling, you can portion it out and freeze it for later.
Can I Freeze Sloppy Joes?
Yes! The Sloppy Joe mixture freezes beautifully. Just cool the saucy beef and bean mixture completely in the refrigerator first, then transfer to a zip top freezer bag or other freezer safe container before transferring to the freezer. Keep the frozen Sloppy Joe mixture for about 3 months. To thaw, simply transfer to the refrigerator the day before, then reheat over medium-low, stirring often, until heated through.
What to Serve with Sloppy Joes
This is a classic American meal, so I’m going to suggest serving the sloppy Joes with another classic, French Fries, but homemade, like these Thick Cut Garlic Parmesan Oven Fries. I think the flavors of the Sloppy Joe sauce also go great with sweet potatoes, so you could try something like Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Other Sneaky Legumes to Try
If you’re not into lentils, you can try stirring in a drained can of red beans, kidney beans, or even pinto beans to your Sloppy Joes Plus. You’ll still be getting a ton of extra nutrition for very little extra cost. Plus, beans are a natural with the chili/bbq flavor of the sloppy joe sauce.
Not into beans? Try our classic Homemade Sloppy Joes recipe.
Sloppy Joes Plus
Servings 8Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry brown lentils ($0.34)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 Vidalia onion ($0.53)
- 1 green bell pepper ($0.50)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef ($4.57)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.69)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.29)
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.09)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.12)
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (optional) ($0.04)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 8 hamburger buns ($2.29)
Instructions
- Before cooking the lentils, sort through them to remove any stones or debris. Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil over high heat, then add the lentils. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes*. Test the lentils to make sure they are tender and then drain in a colander. Set the cooked lentils aside until you are ready to add them to the sloppy joes. The lentils can be simmering while you make the rest of the sloppy joes.
- Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Add both to a large skillet along with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften (3-5 minutes).
- While the onion and garlic are cooking, finely dice the bell pepper. Add the diced bell pepper to the skillet and sauté a few minutes more.
- Add the ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is fully browned (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, cider vinegar, brown sugar, dijon, chili powder, and salt. Stir well and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Stir in the cooked lentils and heat through. Taste and adjust the salt, if needed. Serve warm on a bun!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Sloppy Joes – Step By Step Photos
Lentils cook really fast and require no presoaking. You can have them simmering while you make the rest of the sloppy joes. Begin by sorting through 3/4 cup brown lentils to remove stones or debris. The easiest way to do this is to spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet so they can all be seen. Pick out any stones or other particles.
Bring a large sauce pot full of water to a boil over high heat, then add the sorted lentils. Turn the heat down to low, replace the lid, and let them simmer for 20 minutes (you can begin preparing the rest of the sloppy joes while the lentils simmer). After 20 minutes test a few lentils for doneness. They should be tender, but firm enough to hold together. Drain the lentils in a colander and set them aside until you’re ready to add them to the sloppy joes.
Mince one clove of garlic and finely dice one sweet onion (like vidalia). Add the onion and garlic to a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften (3-5 minutes).
While the onion and garlic are cooking, finely dice one green bell pepper. Add the diced pepper to the skillet and sauté a few minutes more, or just until it begins to soften (it will continue cooking as we add the rest of the ingredients).
Add 1 lb. lean ground beef and continue to sauté until it is fully browned (5-7 min.). I used extra lean ground beef (93/7) so there was no need to drain off any fat. If you’re using a fattier beef, you may want to drain off the fat.
Once the beef is browned, add a 15oz. can of tomato sauce, 3oz. tomato paste (half of a 6oz. can, or about 4 Tbsp), 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. This chili powder is a mild spice blend, not hot red cayenne pepper.
I always get a lot of questions from my non-American readers about what “tomato sauce” is, so here is a photo of the can. It’s basically tomato purée that has a small amount of salt and seasoning. It is not the same as spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce. It’s very, very lightly seasoned puréed tomato.
Stir the ingredients in the skillet together and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you want plain beef sloppy joes, stop here and serve this mixture in a bun.
OR, add those cooked lentils, stir, and heat through. It’s always a good idea to taste again after adding the lentils and adjust the salt if needed.
This makes a pretty big batch (about 8 cups), so I am freezing half of my Sloppy Joes Plus! Make sure you cool the mixture completely before transferring to the freezer (and don’t put the hot mixture straight into a Ziploc bag or it could melt).
And that’s it! Sloppy Joes PLUS made in no time at all. Totally tasty and satisfying! :D
Beth
I love your website and have your book. I’m going to try this recipe. But could you do me a favor and lose the apostrophe on the title of this recipe? Plus doesn’t belong to Joe. They are Sloppy Joes Plus.
Thanks, and sorry if I seem retentive!
Miriam
Hahah, no, I’m glad you mentioned that. I saw that when I put the link in that recent recipe and thought that it wasn’t right… I’ll just go do that now and we can just forget it was ever there. ;)
Not terrible. I loved the idea of stretching the meat with the lentils. I followed the recipe exactly and we felt that it has an overwhelming apple cider vinegar flavor. 3 TBS seems WAY too much. I think I would reduce this at least by half next time and maybe add an extra TBS brown sugar. It didn’t remind me of sloppy joe flavors I was used too, which are a tad sweet/tangy.
I have some ideas on the subject, but I wanted to pick your brain to see how you would suggest (if at all) adapting this recipe to a crock pot. Thanks Beth!
Hmm, well, I think you’re always supposed to cook ground beef before adding it to a slow cooker, so you’d have to cook that separately. I think you’d have to cook the lentils separately, too, because you always have to drain off the excess water… So after cooking both separately, it probably wouldn’t be worth it to use the slow cooker. You can finish it up quickly in a skillet.
I made these for dinner the other night and thought they were “meh,” not bad but not that great. Then, something magical happened in the fridge overnight, because they were so much better and flavorful the next day. Maybe I didn’t let the ingredients simmer together long enough. Either way, I’m super excited to thaw out the other half for dinner next week.
I do that recipe once in a while for at least the last two years. I also add carrots and another pepper to the recipe just to increase my vegetable income and to stretch the meal a little bit. :)
We couldn’t help ourselves and so we went back for seconds!
Another recipe to add to our rotation. Thanks!!
so yummy….cant wait to eat my leftovers
I LOVE this recipe so much. I’ve made it at least 5 times. Tonight I modified it by adding a cup of lentils, extra bell peppers, some zucchini and carrot, and extra tomato paste. I’m going to freeze half of it because it made a ton!
I made this using TVP(Textured Vegetable Protein) instead of ground meat and it was FANTASTIC!!!
Fantastic! My boys are very much “meat and potatoe” kinda guys, so I was hesitate to include the lentils. After some weird looks, they all tried the sloppy joes and LOVED them!!! The fact that I was able to feed my family of 6 (4 teenage boys) for under $10 is an awesome bonus! This recipe is a definite keeper! Thank you
It’s getting pretty hot in Michigan (hey folks, after this past winter I’m still saying “well, it didn’t snow today!”) I saw this recipe and cooked it up last night so I don’t need to heat up the house today. I’ll warm it up for our supper tonight & looking forward to seeing how it flies for our family too. Thanks Beth!
I just made these and they are awesome! I forgot to buy lentils, so I made them without. Delicious!
I made this last night — it was so good! It really hit the spot. I’m always a little nervous about lentils because, while in theory I like them, sometimes their flavor is just…eh. But the sauce was so good they really just added bulk and fiber. I did eat this while wearing an apron, though… :) I will definitely be making this again. I think kids would really enjoy it (though I don’t have any, so take that with a grain of salt). The little bit of sweetness from the brown sugar and then the vinegar really made it.
So so very good! I couldn’t stop saying how tasty it was between bites.
Hey there! I was wanting to make this tonight for dinner but I don’t have any lentils. I do have a can of red beans though. How long should I cook those in a separate pot and when should I stir them in? I want the beans to be tender! I’ll wing it if I don’t hear back! ;)
Ooh, red beans would be awesome in this. Canned red beans are already cooked, so you really just need to heat them up. Just add them to the meat and sauce and let it heat through. No need to cook in a separate pot. If you want them super tender, just let them simmer a little longer in the sauce.
We don’t use brown sugar. Do you think I could use honey instead and keep the flavor the same? Would it be a 1:1 swap? Thanks
Yes, you can definitely use honey, although I think honey is a bit sweeter than brown sugar. I don’t have an exact ratio, so I would start with half of the amount, taste it, then add more if you think it needs it. :)