Enjoy a plant-based twist on a classic comfort food with these Gluten Free Sloppy Joes. Made with red lentils, a homemade tomato based sauce and spices, it’s an easy homemade dinner and a family favorite made in less than 30 minutes.
If comfort food came in a sandwich form, it would be vegan sloppy joes. Whether you’re looking for a recipe to try for Meatless Monday, a quick summer dish or simply looking for an easy recipe for a busy weeknight meal, these sloppy joes are just what you need.
It’s a healthy and hearty dish made in less than 30 minutes with minimum clean up. It’s packed with plant protein, fiber, and veggies that even a meat-eater won't notice the difference. It’s naturally gluten free and vegan and makes a great recipe to have whenever you’re in need of a quick and easy meal that the whole family will love.
The ingredients in this recipe can be easily adjusted to your preference. To make it spicy, you can add in some jalapenos or cayenne. You can leave out the sugar if you like it less sweet, or add some smokiness with a little BBQ sauce. There’s simply no wrong way to make a Sloppy Joe.
What is a Sloppy Joe?
A traditional Sloppy Joe recipe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef mixture that is simmered in a tomato based sauce with a hint of sweetness added to it, such as brown sugar, with fresh veggies and spices all mixed together and served on a hamburger bun. When eating the sandwich it can get a little messy – hence the name “Sloppy Joe”.
This gluten free sloppy joe mix is a vegan version of the sloppy joe, by substituting the ground meat for red lentils. It also uses an alternative sweetener for the brown sugar, and instead uses coconut sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy - it’s made in one pan in only 30 minutes! This is an easy meal to make with minimum clean up required.
- Vegan and gluten-free - this recipe is great for anyone on a gluten-free diet since it uses red lentils as a meat substitute and gluten free hamburger buns.
- Healthy comfort food - it’s a nostalgic recipe that will remind you of your childhood favorite meals. It’s filled with good-for-you plant based protein from the lentils and veggies.
- Great for a crowd - This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd for a large gathering like a summer barbeque, picnic or party.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegetable broth - this recipe uses a low sodium vegetable broth.
- Red lentils - when cooking the red lentils watch them closely. They will only need to cook for about 5- 7 minutes, or until just tender. You want them to be cooked through but not mushy.
- Onion and garlic - for adding more seasoning and flavoring into the lentil sloppy joe mix. You’ll need 1 medium onion and 3 cloves of garlic.
- Bell pepper - I like to use a pre-chopped mix of green, yellow and red bell pepper to save on time. You’ll only need about 1/2 cup of bell peppers.
- Tomato sauce - this is the tomato sauce I used for the recipe or you can use your favorite canned tomato sauce, or a lower sodium tomato sauce.
- Fire roasted tomatoes - to help add great flavor to the homemade sloppy joe sauce. I suggest draining liquid from the can before adding the tomatoes to the pan. You’ll only need about 1/2 cup.
- Coconut sugar - for a hint of sweetness that traditional manwich meat has. You could also use brown sugar if you prefer.
- Coconut aminos - helps to add depth of flavor. You could also use soy sauce if you prefer, however note that it is not gluten-free.
- Spices - a variety of seasonings are used in this dish like ground oregano, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Hamburger buns - i used gluten-free bread to keep the dish completely gluten free however you can use your favorite brand. I suggest toasting the buns before adding the sloppy joe mix to help keep the bread from getting too soggy.
- Coleslaw - this is optional but pairs so good with this dish. You can buy a pre-made mix from the grocery store and mix in the coleslaw dressing or make a homemade coleslaw.
How to Make the Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Boil the lentils. Add the vegetable broth liquid to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in the rinsed red lentils and reduce the heat to a low heat or simmer. Cook the lentils uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 4 - 5 minutes, or until just tender. You want them to be cooked through but not mushy. Drain the liquid and set aside.
- Cook the veggies. Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Once hot the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add sauce and season. Add in the tomato sauce, coconut sugar, coconut aminos, ground oregano, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Combine everything. Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the skillet with the fire roasted tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook the meat mixture over medium-low heat until completely warmed through and it begins to thicken, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust. Add more spices for flavor as needed.
- Serve. Add the sloppy joe mixture on toasted buns with coleslaw on top or served on the side.
Substitutes and Variations
- To make gluten-free - This recipe is naturally gluten-free, just make sure to serve with gluten-free buns.
- To make vegan - This recipe is naturally vegan.
- To make nut-free - This recipe is naturally nut-free.
- To make meatier - If you’re looking for a meatier texture, you can either 1/2 the amount of red lentils and add some frozen vegan crumbles to the dish. Cook according to the package instructions then add it in with the lentils at the end.
How to Store and Reheat
Sloppy joes have the best flavor when served fresh. For any leftover sloppy joes, I recommend storing the buns and lentils separate. When you’re ready to eat, assemble them to ensure the bread does not get soggy.
- To Store - Let the vegan lentil mixture cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze - Make sure to use a freezer friendly container before storing. Can be stored for up to 1 month.
- To Reheat - Move the mixture from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight. The next day, reheat on low heat in a pot on the stove or heat in the microwave in 30 minute increments until heated through. You may need to add a little vegetable broth if the mixture begins to dry out.
What Goes Good with Sloppy Joes?
You can serve the vegan sloppy joe filling on a toasted hamburger bun topped with vegan coleslaw or have it on the side or pair the sandwich with a side salad, potato chips, french fries or potato salad.
Is It a Thyroid-Friendly Recipe? Lentils are edible seeds from the legume family and come in a variety of colors like red, green, yellow or brown lentils. Lentils are an amazing thyroid supporting food because they contain copper, zinc, and iron, which are minerals needed for the thyroid to function properly.
Red lentils are full of B-vitamins, especially vitamin B6 and they also contain potassium and magnesium. Lentils are also low in calories and are a great source of protein and fiber.
Recipe FAQ
All of the ingredients in traditional sloppy joes are naturally gluten free, except for Worcestershire sauce. For this recipe, I opted to use coconut aminos, which still gives a hint of umami flavor and a bit of sweetness. Also, make sure you’re using gluten free bread and double check all of the labels for your ingredients.
Traditional chili and sloppy joes are similar in texture but also very different. Both chili and sloppy joes are made with ground beef in a tomato sauce, however chili is considered more of a soup and sloppy joes are served as a sandwich in a hamburger bun.
The sauce has a tomatoey, sweet and tangy flavor with seasonings to help balance out all of the flavors.
Yes, but only the vegan lentil mixture. Let it cool to room temperature before storing in a freezer friendly container. Can be stored for up to 1 month.
More Recipes You May Like
Easy Homemade Gluten Free Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper diced
- 1 15- ounce tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup fire roasted tomatoes drained
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Generous pinch of Salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 4 Gluten free hamburger buns
- Coleslaw mix optional, + dressing
Instructions
- Add the vegetable broth liquid to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in the rinsed red lentils and reduce the heat to a low heat or simmer. Cook the lentils uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 4 -5 minutes, or until just tender. You want them to be cooked through but not mushy. Drain the liquid and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Once hot the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add in the tomato sauce, coconut sugar, coconut aminos, dried oregano, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the skillet with the fire roasted tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until completely warmed through and it begins to thicken, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes.
- Add more spices for flavor as needed.
- Add the sloppy joe mixture on toasted buns with coleslaw on top or served on the side.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Although HalfPastHungry.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on which products you use, the brand that was purchased, or in other unforeseeable ways. HalfPastHungry.com will not be held liable for any reliance on given nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your physician first.
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