A delicious, healthy vegan sloppy joe recipe that’s easy to prepare and evokes childhood memories. If you have time, try making your own buns to go with it.
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I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant Labor Day weekend with good food and company. I spent time with family, including relatives I hadn’t seen since my grandmother passed in May, which made the holiday meaningful.
When family gatherings center on food, I often find myself in the kitchen preparing something suited to my diet. That can be a bit awkward amid racks of ribs, chili dips, burgers and hot dogs, but I usually get curious questions about what I’m making and what’s in it. I enjoy introducing non-vegans to new flavors and showing how satisfying plant-based dishes can be.
The inspiration for these sloppy joes came from an accidental combination: leftover lentils mixed with tomato sauce from another recipe. It turned out to be a delicious pairing, and I decided to build on that by adding savory elements to create a comforting sloppy joe filling.
Last year I experimented with homemade burger buns and planned to use a similar approach here. My attempt at modified buns this time resulted in a denser loaf (I suspect I forgot the salt and didn’t let them rise enough), so I’m not sharing that bun recipe. The sloppy joe mixture, however, was a hit. After I seasoned it, my cousin sampled it and encouraged almost everyone to try it. Even an older relative recovering from heart surgery asked if there was meat in it and marveled at how good it tasted.
