Thanks so much to Mara from Kosher on a Budget for sharing this great recipe/post with us. I’m still on “leave,” enjoying my time with new baby and settling into life as a family of 6. I’m so grateful for the help and support of my fellow bloggers during this time! ~Erin
Sloppy Joes are perfect winter comfort food.
But what if you’re serving a crowd and want to keep costs low?
Snobby Joes to the rescue. Made with lentils instead of ground beef, Snobby Joes are a family favorite at my house. They cook up quickly and taste just as good as the real deal.
Snobby Joes with Lentils
Yield – 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 T olive, vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green (or other color) bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 t of chili powder (or more to taste)
- 1 t of cumin
- 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 c tomato paste
- 1-2 T brown sugar
- 1 T of brown mustard
Directions
- Pour lentils and water into saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Lower the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes until lentils are cooked soft.
- About 10 minutes after you lower the temperature on the lentils, sauté onions over medium-high heat in a large saucepan until slightly softened.
- Add the peppers and garlic and continue sautéing until the peppers and garlic are soft and the onions are starting to get golden in color.
- Shake in cumin and chili powder and mix well.
- Strain the cooked lentils and pour into the pan with the onions. Stir together.
- Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, mustard and brown sugar and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to minimal heat and keep warm until you’re ready to eat (the longer it sits, the more the flavors will meld together).
- Serve your Joes in pita, a hamburger bun, or over rice.
When she’s not cooking up frugal vegetarian meals for her family, Mara Strom can be found blogging at Kosher on a Budget. Mara shares strategies, tips, deals and more to help her readers live fruitfully, without multiplying their budget.
I am so excited about this recipe! I was at Sprouts last night and saw organic red lentils (first time I ever noticed them) and I thought to myself I should wait to find a recipe I can sneak them into to get the kids to eat them — I cook green lentils about every other week, but I admit I have to let the kids get a little hungry before they will eat them. lol. This recipe looks perfect.