Sloppy Sams

Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce is available in most health food stores or even Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. If you can't find it there, you can make your own -- just do a search for Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce online.

Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce is available in most health food stores or even Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. If you can't find it there, you can make your own -- just do a search for Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce online.

This is YUMMO! I made this with red lentils to speed up cooking time, and I cooked the lentils with the sauce ingredients. After cooking the onions and garlic, I added a can of chopped tomatoes with mexican seasonings (to replace the 2 cups tomato...the can is 14 oz) and the lentils. Then I added about 2 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients. I let it simmer for about 15 minutes and it was great! The lentils still had a bit of "bite" but had a great sloppy joe taste. Even my husband, a confirmed meat eater, had seconds!

My husband loved these, but I am not a huge fan of lentils. Good alternative if you don't want meat- thanks!

Very Good! Even my husband approved! I used brown sugar instead of molasses. Excellent meat free recipe!

Incredibly delicious. To make it a bit easier, I used 1-15 oz. can of Eden organic lentils (with sweet onion & bay leaf) drained as well as 1-15oz. can of Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes (drained). So very very very yummy! I also used 2 TBS brown sugar instead of the molasses. Thank you so much for a great recipe!

Thanks Marian for the wonderful recipe!The combo of ingredients rsults in a very flavorful sauce. I substitued low sodium soy sauce for the worchestershire. In the past, I have purchased "store brand" worchestershire sauce and it did NOT contain anchovies :) since I'm allergic to all seafood.

Just to inform people that you can buy vegeterian worcestershire sauce that omits the anchovies.

I'm giving this 5 stars because it's a healthier alternative to real Sloppy Joes, it tastes just like a Sloppy Joe, it's cheaper than a real Sloppy Joe, and you want to keep eating more and more, just like you would with a Sloppy Joe. Kudos to the chef.

While I liked these freshly made, I really loved these the next day! I used a can of diced garlic and onion flavored tomatoes, (undrained), in place of fresh. I added about a T. of regular mustard and brown sugar in the end. It was way too sweet the first day, but tasted fine the next day. So next time I would not add any sugar, and I may try some vinegar to see what that does to the flavor, too.

My husband and I are vegan and these are on what my husband had dubbed "the list". I add a can of corn for a texture change, and a couple of dashes of liquid smoke for another layer of flavor. Yum!!! Thank you so much for a recipe without expensive soy crumbles!

yum! didnt have molasses so used honey, used regular mustard and chili sauce, and left out worchester... but it came out great! served on homemade whole wheat/white/rye flour hamburger rolls...

Just made this recipe. I used half yellow and half black lentils. And instead of 3 T of molasses, I used 1 T of molasses and 2 T of brown sugar. Since I live in a country where you can only get HOT chili powder, I used about 1/2 teaspoon. It turned out pretty good. My 18 month old loved it!

I just made this loved it.I however changed a few items. I didn't use the Tomatoes I just used the whole can of tomato paste w/ 2 cans of water and I just squeezed the ketcup in so maybe 2-4 tbsp and then minced dried onions drop in with the water:) I will make this again..

Tasted pretty much like baked beans on a bun to me. If that sounds good to you - go for it!

I made this because we were having a vegetarian friend over for dinner and it was enjoyed by everyone. I changed the fresh tomato and paste for a can of tomatoes and reduced the molasses to 1 tbls, which was plenty, otherwise made as written. Served in floured baps with grated cheese.

This is a great recipe! I'm not vegetarian, but I'm always looking for ways to make my family's favorite foods healthier. Sloppy Joes are one of our favorite comfort foods, and these were every bit as good as the "ground beef and a can of sauce" version. We may never eat a regular sloppy joe again! I did add extra chili powder and a bit of cayenne to give it some extra kick.

Very good recipe, made as directed except I didn't have celery seed and I only used 1 T. of molasses. I served it with cole slaw on top and it was delicious. the only reason I give it four stars is because the taste was more like bbq and less like sloppy joes. But I will definitely make it again, thanks!

I have made this recipe twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and it was really good. This time I was missing a couple ingredients so I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of spicy mustard instead of mustard powder. I think they were even better this time!

I totally messed this up but it still ended up tasting great. Instead of chopped tomatoes I used a can and only had a big one. No prob, I'll just simmer it down by half. But I forgot when I actually cooked it. Also tried red lentils for the first time. Need to work on cooking those. Ended up cooking and adding more lentils and the whole can of tom paste, and still had too much liquid so I added some puffed amaranth. Worked great and more nutrition too. Ended up with a TON but some went in the freezer so no prob.

Simple to make and very tasty. We halved the recipe and had nothing to drain from the lentils (just one big mush) - but it turned out just fine. Might use just a tad bit less water next time to thicken it up.

I'm a vegetarian and these still weren't close enough to Sloppy 'joes'. Something about the sauce was off. My husband enjoyed it, but the kids and I didn't eat it.

Thank you so much for this recipe! I am coming up on my one year vegetarian anniversary and have been getting bored with some other recipes. I thought I was craving meat, but after trying this, I realized I just needed something better! I prepared as directed just increasing the amounts of garlic and onion a little. I would challenge any meat eater to not have seconds.

This is a good meatless recipe. I tweaked it quite a bit, so if you don't like tweaking, stop here! I added diced celery and grated carrot with the onion (to use leftovers). I used leftover tomato sauce instead of the tomato paste, and a can of petite diced tomatoes instead of the fresh tomato. I did add a tablespoon of sugar, as I cooked the canned tomatoes down (slow boil for about 15 mion) rather than adding ketchup. The mixture tasted a little sweet, but after adding slightly more than 1 1/2 c lentils (mine were already cooked) to the mixture, it was perfect. I served it on buttered slices of whole-grain bread. The half-recipe made enough for four servings, easily.. Calling it Sloppy Sams is perfect. I'm looking forward to leftovers, as this is probably one of those mixtures that is better once the flavors meld. And I'll really try to make it exactly like the recipe sometime to see if it's even better the recipe's way.

This recipe tasted very similar to barbeque, so it is a great veggie option for sloppy joes. My partner and I weren't crazy about it, but I think that's because it was so sweet due to all the molasses. I will make it again, but with less molasses. However, if you want something vegetarian almost exactly like traditional barbeque, this is it!

Reading all the "Even the meat lovers in my family loved them!" type reviews was encouraging. Unfortunately, all but a few test bites of this went in the trash. I'm usually pretty open - I guess lentils just aren't my thing.

The only change I made was to use homemade ketchup (in-a-pinch ketchup from this site). Quite different from sloppy joes, but still good. Served my husbands on a ww bun and mine on a ww pita, which was also good. I got 7 servings out of this.

This tastes GREAT! I am new to the vegan lifestyle and this was one of the first recipes I tried, looking forward to trying more.

I'm blown away that these didn't get all 5 star reviews. My husband and I LOVED these!! I'll be making these at least twice a month from now on. Some mentioned that it makes a huge amount, but I made a half recipe and my husband and I finished it off in one meal. I made it exactly as written, except for maybe a 'tiny' bit less molasses than is called for, used brown lentils, and served it on toasted ciabata buns. YUM! And as a nice bonus, super nutritious as well. Thanks so much for this recipe!

This was pretty good.

Great taste and easy to make! I used red lentils (if so, cook with 2.5 cups of water and top up with another 0.5 cups of water to keep them from drying out, if needed). I substituted 2 TBS of brown sugar for the molasses (as mentioned in a previous comment) and worked out well. I feel like this made a lot, though, and would say that the amount made would be more like 7 or 8 servings. Doesn't taste exactly like sloppy joes, but still very yummy - I'll definitely be making this again.

Everyone loved this! I used canned lentils, tomatos, and brown sugar, because that is what we had. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch!!

I over-cooked my lentils so I add some cooked rice that I had in the fridge and it was fabulous! My daughter thought they were too spicy though.

I thought this was really good. Same texture as a sloppy Joe. Kids didnt like it. Had to boil the lentils for an hour to achieve tenderness. Since the kids wouldnt eat it willingly I wont make again. But at least I will have good leftover sandwichs for a few days!

These were good, however, don't add the Worcestershire sauce if you need to make it vegetarian. W. sauce has anchovies in it.

Yummy in my tummy! Excellent flavors, consistency and presentation. All around great alternative to the traditional Sloppy Joe's - even better actually! Change: I cooked the lentils in my Instant Pot (cooking time 8 minutes on high) and used a 14 oz. can of organic diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes and used vegan alternative for the worcestershire sauce.

This turned out even better than when I use tvp! It was more filling than when I use tvp or when I've cooked with beef! The only things I changed were: I added a full can of tomato paste because I was out of ketchup and I used mustard instead of mustard powder because I didn't have any. I highly recommend this to everyone!

I have to rate this a 5, although I added some brown sugar because I like my joes sweeter.. My husband said I should have left the recipe as is and is sure he would have loved the more savory version. Our three year old ate all his sloppy and none of his bun. I did not find this recipe bland and wonder if for those people who said it seemed bland if it was the lentils or tomatoes or paste used???

These were so good! I only used 2 Tbsp of Molasses. I didn't want it being too sweet. I added a bit more chili powder, mustard powder than the recipe called for. I also added about a tsp. of cumin. I used one can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh.

So freakin good!! Cooked my lentils in broth, uses 1 can diced tomatoes instead of fresh, honey instead of molasses, and more like a ''splash" of Worcestershire sauce. Served all sloppy like over toasted buns with a slice of provolone cheese. You will not miss the meat at all, especially when your bread is nice and soaked with sauce. Yummy!

Way too sweet for my tastes, and I even used tomato sauce instead of ketchup! I like the idea of lentil sloppy joes, though, so I will experiment with this to suit my family's tastes! Thanks for the inspiration!

My family enjoys lentils and use them as a substitute for taco filling, so we thought this would be tasty. We tried this recipe twice... The first time as written, which resulted in a fairly bland sloppy joe per my family. So the next time I tried preparing the sauce then adding the lentils and water to let them simmer together. I was hoping the lentils would absorb more flavor. Sadly, they still left us cold. I appreciate that it's a healthy recipe, but they were missing something, and my family didn't like them enough to try again.

I did not use Worcestershire sauce, but used 2 tablespoons of Light Brown Sugar. It was a nice barbecue flavor while keeping it vegetarian. I've never found vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in my market so far. It wasn't incredible, but my house ate it with smiles and I appreciate the recipe.

Not bad, but they are a bit like baked beans. I ended up using the beans from an open bag of beans for 12 bean ham soup (no lentils in the pantry, although I could've sworn I'd bought some), which worked well enough. I boiled them closer to 1 1/2 hours, though, until they were soft. then I proceeded with the recipe. I didn't have enough ketchup so used a full can of tomato paste, which made it thicker--something I prefer. thanks for the recipe.

I am finding that Lentils are a great place to start for being a new vegetarian. So versatile. I added some hot sauce for a bolder kick, and I also used a dash of Apple Cider Vinegar and a dash of Soy Sauce in place of the Worcestershire. I liked the flavor, but I can't say that I loved this recipe because it lacks any kind of texture. I would at least stir in some garbanzo beans, or put crunchy cabbage slaw on the top.

Good, but not great

This recipe is delicious! Even cold! We scooped the leftovers into a couple of hero rolls, wrapped them up tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated. The next day we had a nice lunch ready to go!

Suprisingly similar taste to its brother Joe... I'm impressed! I used 2 tbsp of brown sugar instead of the molasses.

I followed another's idea to cook everything (used red lentils) together. I also halved the brown sugar, used regular mustard, and used low sodium soy sauce instead of Worcestershire. Overall, pretty good. I was missing a tangier flavor, but I will definitely make again. Next time I would add less water since there's already liquid from tomatoes. I had to use some brown rice for a quick thickener. Tasted like childhood especially with some American cheese.

I didn't care for the flavor of the spices... I added cumin after which made it better in my opinion but not good enough to make again. Note: I didn't have molasses so had substituted brown sugar, and also substituted canned diced tomatoes for fresh.)

This is REALLY good :) It's flavorful and easy to make! Definitely will make again!!

It was okay, kids didn't like the texture. Taste was good but the color and texture was not like sloppy joes that I usually make so it didn't work well.

Delicious! I think I will cut down on the molasses next time, but this is definitely a winner.

I loved it and I had never tried lentils before. I like sloppy joes sweet so I only changed the amount of chili powder. My husband didnt care for it though but ate a buns worth and my son took one bite and said he didnt like the green things :(.

I have three young kids (ages 4, 3, and 1) and they LOVE these. Sometimes I substitute brown sugar for the molasses if I'm out, but otherwise I make it as written. We eat it on fresh 12 grain bread topped with a tiny bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Yum!

You know it's a good recipe when you make it for meat-eaters and they are having 2nds and 3rds and asking to take left-overs home. This is one of those recipes! Absolutely delicious, not to mention easy and inexpensive. I sprayed a non-stick pan with olive oil instead of using the oil called for and it worked fine and cut fat and calories. I also used Italian-style canned diced tomatoes since I didn't have fresh ones on hand, and cooked the lentils in the juice I drained off the tomatoes along with enough water to make the 3 cups of liquid. I made sure not to overcook the lentils so they weren't mushy. This recipe is a keeper!

I really had higher expactations on this dish based on the reviews. I do like the fact this is a healthy meal, but it was so bland, one of the reviewers mentioned about trying to cook the lentils with the sauce instead of water to absorb more flavor, maybe this could be an idea.

This was yummy! We used TVP instead of lentils, also added oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and soy sauce instead of worcestershire sauce. Super satisfying & easy!

I made it as is and it turned out great! Super easy and quick dish.

We recently are switching to more healthy diet and so less meat. This recipe was really good , first time trying lentils and we enjoyed them like this . Even my picky kids didn't complain.

Excellent. I’ll make again. A bit sweet even though I only used 2tbs molasses. Probably better tomorrow.

I simply added manwich sloppy joe sauce with the lentils and it was delicious.

Next time I'll add the whole can of tomato paste. Great flavour

The kids did not like the taste. I founda it also too sweet.

This was a great way to use lentils. Although I used a prepared can of sloppy joe sauce (due to some time and ingredient constraints), I found this recipe to be very appealing. Thanks for the recipe!

These are missing a certain something that I haven't decided upon yet, but are pretty good. They're very healthy and unique so I think I'll make again w/ a couple spice alterations. This recipe serves four-that's for 2 burgers apiece, fyi.

I used this over rice. It was a hit.

I used ground beef instead of lentils; not realizing it want even listed like this as a recipe. Everything about the ingredients makes it the best recipe yet, having tried many. Next time I will definitely make them vegetarian.

We have this about once a week. Its a favorite! We don’t serve it on buns, but that’s the only substitution we make. Delicious!

Soooooooo good!!! My family loved this recipe. If you like this one, try "Unsloppy Joes" on this website.....they are both wonderful recipes! Thanks so much for the submission~~~

Made this last night. Awesome! Never had chickpeas in a dish before. I did not have to add any water to the Sloppy Sams, and I did not have tomato paste, so I used pasta sauce. Still it came together wonderfully. Will make this one often.

Good replacement for beef. I did cook the lentils in beef broth to give it more of the flavor without the cost or fat content. I also like the flexibility of being able to use fresh or canned tomatoes. This time around I used canned tomatoes since its winter.

Scrumptious!! I didn't have the mustard powder and I completely forgot the black pepper. Still, I ate two of them even though I was full after one. I couldn't stop myself. Everybody liked them, even my die hard meat and potato eating dad.

Very good! I cook this for the students at a school and they think it is good, so there you go! But the anchovies in the Worcester sauce makes it NOT vegetarian. I substituted Braggs Aminos. Turned out GREAT!

Very good! I made this mostly for my daughter who loves lentils, but the whole family enjoyed it. It was even better the next day. I served on honey wheat buns with bread and butter pickles.

was delicious i added some diced eggplant for extra 'meatiness'... i'll definitely make these regularly

These are so good! And cheap! I just ate the sams part without the bread cause it was so good. My fiance loved it- always a plus!

My kids and husband love it and now my grandkids love it too! It makes more than four servings for me. I use a can of stewed tomatoes instead, not sure if that is why it makes more. It feels good to serve something everyone enjoys and it is quick too.