Snobby Joes
by IsaChandra
Serves 4 to 6

Image courtesty Seitan Is My Motor
Everyone loves Sloppy Joes! This version thinks its better than everyone because it contains no meat. And there’s no soy, either. Lentils are the perfect texture for vegetarian sloppy Joes.
1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional – for serving)
Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait.
Print This Post
There's a problem!
Success!
-
November 18, 2010 at 4:15 am: danielle
do i need to use green lentils or can i use brown ones?
-
November 28, 2010 at 12:05 am: greg
We used red lentils and it was fantastic! We also toned down the chili powder to 2 tablespoons to suit our spicy tolerances. Another great recipe from PPK. Please keep them coming!
-
November 30, 2010 at 12:31 am: Spooky
I didn’t have any chili powder so used cayenne pepper, herbes de provence, and kosher salt. Used brown lentils. The maple syrup seemed like a lot but it came out perfectly!
-
December 14, 2010 at 12:43 am: Kayla
This looks really good. Ive been meaning to try this. It looks almost as good as the roasted eggplant muff(something or other) than was in Veganonicon.
-
January 3, 2011 at 12:16 am: Nic
Just made this for dinner. Sinfully good!
-
January 7, 2011 at 1:54 am: Patti
I was a little worried about the mustard and syrup but they made this recipe sooooo much better. These “Snobby Joes” rock!!!
-
January 9, 2011 at 11:07 pm: Mandy
Just made these and LOVED them. Even the carnivorous men in the house liked them and had seconds!
-
January 10, 2011 at 5:46 am: Paula
THIS WAS AWESOME!!! I’m not even sure how I ran across your website yesterday, but I know that I’ll be checking it out regularly for future recipes. Thanks so much. :)
-
January 12, 2011 at 8:52 pm: Tony
Just made this… and it ROCKS! My kids LOVE it… I am just hoping there are leftovers for me when I get off of work!
-
January 14, 2011 at 3:32 pm: Ariel
I would love to make this recipe but am currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina and maple syrup is actually unheard of here. There are specialty places I can go to get it but instead of spending a fortune for a theoretical one-time use is there anything I can substitute it with? Thanks so much!
-
January 14, 2011 at 8:31 pm: IsaChandra
Sure, use agave or just plain old sugar (brown sugar preferably.)
-
-
January 22, 2011 at 11:19 pm: abracadabra
This served as inspiration for a very popular meal the other evening — I had leftover basic pasta sauce, lentils, but no mustard, syrup, or tomato paste and no desire to drag myself to the store to go shopping. Thus we had deconstructed “meatball” sandwiches and my daughter took it for lunch the next day and actually ate it.
I love the site and stop by often for recipes and inspiration!
-
January 27, 2011 at 10:59 pm: Drew MacKenzie
This is totally amazing, husband and kids all loved it! I will definately make this again! thx:)
-
January 29, 2011 at 2:50 am: squashtoast
This is *fantastic*. It took everything I loved about sloppy joes (lots of tomato, some spice, a little tangy-ness and a hint of sweetness) and made it even better. I used some sweet and hot mustard that gave it a nice zing and I think I might try adding some cayenne pepper next time. I’m definitely glad that I made a double recipe…
-
January 31, 2011 at 4:03 am: Emily
Yum! I just made this tonight and it was really good!
-
February 19, 2011 at 6:17 pm: Ieeegla
If you substitute a jar of salsa for the tomato sauce, it adds a nice amount of spicy.
-
February 20, 2011 at 3:20 am: Molly
i did like these with my normal extreme dose of ketchup. But…. the texture was really weird to me. Any suggestions?
-
March 9, 2011 at 4:28 am: Emily
Made this for dinner tonight as the recipe is written, though the time to cook my lentils was shorter; I watched them closely to make sure they didn’t get too mushy. It’s very good, but next time I will scale back on the tomato paste or maybe leave it out or bump something else up so it’s not quite as tomato-y. All in all, will make again- thanks for a great recipe!!
-
March 10, 2011 at 12:15 am: Tawnia
These turned out very yummy. I used vegetable broth instead of tomato sauce. I also made some extra lentils and cooked them with taco seasoning for tacos. They were amazing!
In regards to the texture Molly, I mashed mine up some. Probably half mashed, half whole. I think it helped.
-
March 17, 2011 at 3:54 am: Em
SO SO GOOD!!! better than regular sloppy joes — tons of flavor and no yucky dripping grease. And REALLY easy… this is definitely going into my regular rotation.
-
March 21, 2011 at 12:54 am: dreadymuffin
my omni husband even loved these! I’m making a huge batch to take with me to a party this weekend. Thanks Isa, you rock!
-
April 10, 2011 at 7:09 pm: Glenn
Oh hell YEAH!! Our omnivorous household LOVED these. We used the leftovers to make Snobby Tortas. Just added some diced potatoes, shredded cabbage, avocado and copious amounts of hot sauce. Mucho gusto!
-
April 10, 2011 at 10:58 pm: Jan
Delicious! But I had a hard time getting my lentils as tender as I would have liked, even after twice the recommended cooking time. This seems to happen when I buy them in the bulk foods section. Any tips or tricks?
-
April 12, 2011 at 3:23 am: AC
i substituted honey for the maple syrup (which i suppose is not vegan, but cheaper, for my vegetarian & omnivorous brethren) and it was PRETTY MUCH THE BEST THING I’VE EVER EATEN EVER. tons of leftovers and cost like $3 to make!
-
April 12, 2011 at 3:24 am: AC
oh, and Jan, i soaked my lentils first for maybe 4 hours. it cuts down the cooking time considerably. :)
-
April 13, 2011 at 4:50 am: Heather
I’m from Australia, and am not too sure about some of the ingredients you’ve mentioned. When we say Tomato Sauce, we mean Ketchup. Or something similar. When you say it, do you mean a passata or something? Because I’m pretty sure if I used our tomato sauce it would taste… not how you intended.
-
April 19, 2011 at 2:04 am: Annaliese
I just made this and it is awesome! I cook for 1 though – does it freeze well?
-
April 23, 2011 at 12:18 am: Michele
Heather, tomato sauce is not ketchup. It is like really cooked down tomatoes, to a sauce consistency. In the US, it’s bought in a can. Probably a marinara spagetti sauce could be substituted, if you don’t want the trouble of cooking down fresh, peeled and seeded tomatoes yourself.
-
April 24, 2011 at 12:11 am: meredith
These were great! I made a second batch this week because I thought it was that delicious. And it is cheap!!!!!
-
May 1, 2011 at 11:15 pm: DANNY
this was yummy , mustard and maple syrup is what barbecue sauce is people , its not a dangerous combination !! hehe
-
May 1, 2011 at 11:17 pm: DANNY
The other day I ran out of tomatoe sauce and used tomatoe soup in a can , and tasted exactly the same :D
-
May 5, 2011 at 3:49 am: Heather
Awesome, thanks Michele and Danny – I wanted to cook it as soon as I read it, but if I had made a mistake with that it could have scarred me :) But I made the tomato sauce by cooking down some tinned tomatoes, and it was DELICIOUS. YUMTIMES. Also used honey because over here actual maple syrup is about the same price as gold. Thanks for the tips guys!
-
May 7, 2011 at 8:15 am: Clare McNally
Hey Heather, I’m from Adelaide and since honey is not a vegan food and maple syrup is ridiculously expensive you could try using agave nector. You can pick it up at most organic food shops – very available in Sydney and Melbourne. But I also order it online from Bio-Distributors a company from Tasi. You use a bit less than honey and buy in bulk so it goes a really long way. I think the cruelty free shop also has it – they have good cheese and chocolate too. Wishing we had more of a veggie way of life here. Hope you come back to read this. Cheers, Clare.
-
May 11, 2011 at 1:54 am: Diana
A number of your recipes have been on my “must try” list for quite some time, but this is the first one I’ve tried. It’s SO good I’m afraid I might eat the whole pot before dinner tomorrow! You really created some amazing flavors, with really easy ingredients. Can’t wait to try the others!
-
May 11, 2011 at 10:38 pm: Jess
This is absolutely divine. It’s a staple for me now.
-
May 13, 2011 at 4:19 pm: Joan
One Tbsp mustard—dry or wet mustard?
-
May 17, 2011 at 9:19 pm: IsaChandra
Wet.
-
-
May 16, 2011 at 12:44 am: Sherri
Awesome recipe! Best sloppy joes I have ever had. Previously used ground Boca beef – this lentil recipe is much better. I can also envision eating these lentils over rice as a main course. Thanks so much.
-
May 18, 2011 at 8:46 pm: renee dv
Just found your website after reading your comment on wheat free meat free and I am so glad I decided to check it out- you have such easy but tasty food, I love it! Thanks for sharing
-
May 23, 2011 at 1:33 pm: RaisyDaisy
Really looking forward to trying this out! Your recipes are amazing (just got Vcon on my kindle)
FYI – For all of the non-US people on here tomato sauce = passata =D
-
July 5, 2011 at 4:12 am: Allison
These came out really good. I used half green, half red bell pepper and since I have seen Ancho chili powder called for in few of these recipes, I got that instead of a mixed chili powder. I like spice, but I think 3 tbsp was approaching the saturation point for this particular chili powder. On the other hand, it’s been about 4 days since I made this, and it has mellowed out in the fridge and tastes absolutely lovely now. I have been eating it with tortilla chips and it’s to die for. I imagine this would be an excellent quick and dirty curry base, using different spices. So good–must make more!!
-
July 21, 2011 at 11:08 pm: Fred
This makes a fantastic pasta sauce too!
-
July 25, 2011 at 9:43 pm: Jan
Finally got around to making these again at my daughter’s request, but this time I soaked the lentils first. (Thanks, AC, for the tip!) Fabulous! My husband was a bit reluctant to eat this batch because of the lentils’ tough texture last time, but he was pleasantly surprised and said they were quite tasty. So now this will become a staple at our house.
-
August 22, 2011 at 1:10 pm: Sandra
I have been making this for over a year now and it is without doubt one of my favorite meals! I usually make it with brown lentils and love having it with mashed potatoes, wonderful comfort food! Thank you so much for the recipe!
-
August 28, 2011 at 11:15 pm: Brooke
So my fiancé and I were craving some sloppy joes but of course were both vegan and it’s hard to find a recipe without meat. But I figured why not google vegan sloppy joes? I’m so glad I did because your recipe came up! I just made it for dinner and it wad amazing!!! It was fiancé approved and will definitely be making this on the regular. Thank you for this fun recipe!:)
-
September 5, 2011 at 1:51 am: Rebecca
Holy vegan-cow, these were delicious. I haven’t had sloppy joes for about 15 years, so I can’t say whether or not they tasted like sloppy joes. But, they did taste amazing. I really like that it had a lentil-base instead of a faux-meat base.
-
September 27, 2011 at 10:41 am: Priscilla Beaulieu
even though i am a vegan, i never had a lentil sloppy joes before, but i have to admit: it’s great! love it! :D
-
October 2, 2011 at 10:28 pm: Tiny
Just made these…haven’t had a sloppy joe in 4 or 5 years and thought these were amazing. First time cooking lentils and may have overcooked them just a tiny bit but they’ll only get better from here. And I agree with Rebecca, I really appreciated that this wasn’t all about some soy product. Thank you! Thank you!
-
October 31, 2011 at 8:52 pm: Jennifer
I made this & completely loved it! I think I will soak the lentils next time. It tasted exactly as I remember Sloppy Joe’s tasting.
-
December 14, 2011 at 7:16 pm: Mikaela Johansson (@mickis)
Made this recipe last night and it is AMAZING! We added a bunch of hot sauce for a little more spice :) Hubby’s vote: Tastes just like a sloppy Joe… We’ll be making this recipe a LOT. Fast, Cheap, Easy and Tasty= perfect. Thanks for sharing!
-
December 14, 2011 at 8:18 pm: ashley
Translating this to German for my host family. Your recipes have officially gone into other languages. (: Oh, and THANK YOU for Veganomicon, my bible.
-
December 19, 2011 at 12:27 am: Terri
I didn’t have enough of the chili powder, so I used 1 T regular chili and 2 T chipotle …. that gave it a super kick. And I only had a red bell… I think the green would have been better. BUT, these bad boys are sooooo yummy! Thank you!
-
December 19, 2011 at 11:25 pm: Miranda
YUM! Thanks for another great recipe! After a full year of being vegan, it’s gotten much easier, and your recipes have given me some great ideas and have been a huge help !
-
December 28, 2011 at 2:03 am: Brandie
After making this tonight, the hubby proclaimed “Honey you have GOT to quit cooking like this! I ate way too much.” Converting my former meat and potatoes man to a vegan diet has been much easier with your help!
-
January 3, 2012 at 7:56 pm: Colleen
I made these for a work party and everyone asked for the recipe, they were so surprised that it was good so its a good meal to give to vegan phobes ahaha……I only did 1 tbs of chili powder because the 3 are a little over powering for me…..sooooo yummy!!!
-
January 12, 2012 at 2:43 am: Lorie
LOVED this!!! So good, so easy, so cheap.
-
January 23, 2012 at 9:57 pm: Kate
Wow…I made this yesterday (slight modifications: one TBS maple syrup, 3 TBS spicy brown mustard, added extra garlic, onions and threw in mushrooms) and aside from a bowl’s worth, I ate the entire thing throughout the day. I’m making it again tonight! DELICIOUS, filling, satisfies even the heartiest cravings! Thank you!!!
-
January 27, 2012 at 11:05 pm: gin
nice! i don’t have any maple syrup but i do have molassas and that might give it a little bit of a smokey taste… maybe with a little smoked paprika?
-
January 28, 2012 at 2:46 am: Gidget VonRocketboots
I am making this in approx. 10 minutes & I’m getting just a little excited. I’m totally using red peppers & putting it on caulipots & then eating until I barf.
-
February 5, 2012 at 2:33 pm: Christina
These were so delicious! I think even nonvegetarians would like this dish, although my kids were not into it(but I don’t think they particulary like traditional sloppy joes).
-
February 28, 2012 at 1:30 pm: Amber
I have made these at least four times now and they never disappoint. I never liked ‘traditional’ sloppy joe’s, but I crave these. I found I prefer red, yellow or orange peppers to the green for the slight sweetness they lend. Isa, thank you so much for making it sooo easy to eat healthy!!
-
March 6, 2012 at 12:46 am: Mary
Oh my goodness! I love this recipe!!!
-
March 19, 2012 at 3:58 pm: melissa
This was delicious! Even my meat loving husband went back for seconds.
-
March 21, 2012 at 10:03 pm: Sarah
I couldn’t resist including this recipe in my top eight vegetarian comfort food recipes roundup! http://blog.mixbook.com/8-tried-and-true-meatless-comfort-food-recipes/
-
April 5, 2012 at 4:34 am: Ria Hills
I’m so glad that I found your website! I made this tonight for the first time and no longer crave my old “dead animal” sloppy joes. Thank you! Sooo delicious!
-
April 9, 2012 at 11:14 pm: Elle
Holy sweet mother these are spicy! I am wondering if I have a crazy batch of chili powder since nobody else commented how spicy they are, yet my hubs and I (who both like spicy foods) could barely eat them! I will make again soon with very little chili powder, but from what I could taste, they are awesome! :)
-
April 16, 2012 at 9:11 pm: Mateo
Great Recipe! I changed something for convenience. Instead of letting the mixture cool for 10 minutes, I tossed everything together in a crock pot and let it cook on low for 3 hours. This turned out quite amazing.
-
April 19, 2012 at 2:53 pm: Lee
I don’t know how you keep coming up with awesome recipe after awesome recipe, but I’m glad you are! This was delicious and hearty.
-
April 26, 2012 at 4:04 am: Kim
3 Tablespoons chili powder sounded too much for me so I put in 1 tablespoon and it was still crazy hot. How do you guys do it?! I made a new batch with 1 teaspoon and it was just right, very spicy still but I could still feel my mouth!! Delcicious recipe.
-
May 3, 2012 at 3:41 am: Paula
Delicious! For those complaining about the spice level, the 3 T chili powder called for in the recipe is American chili powder , a blend of spices including dried chili peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, & salt. It is not straight up dried chili peppers only, which would be quite spicy, but instead a mild spice blend.
-
May 18, 2012 at 12:30 am: Kim
Paula – thank you, that explains it! yes I was using straight chili powder! omgosh I was thinking you guys over there must have iron mouths!

Tempeh Helper 