My old, non-vegan Sloppy Joe Recipe was easy to make – as classic and American and kid-friendly as Apple Pie. When I wanted to make a simple meal for a crowd (and my own five children were a crowd at my house), add a few more people and now I really had a crowd, this was one of those meals I could make in a hurry, without much fuss and even get rave reviews to boot. Simple and easy it was.

As you may recall, Bill is not vegan. There isn’t much in the way of non-meat items that he likes. I did serve this recipe, vegan-style, to him. When he was finished, I asked what he thought about it.

Let me back up for just a second. He used to eat the real meat Sloppy Joes with mustard, Swiss cheese (he’s bad!) and dill pickles. He doctored up my vegan version the very same way and said they tasted quite good and quite like the sloppy joe of old. Now that’s a testimony.

I like mine with dill pickles only, no mustard. And a few crunchy potato chips. I know I’m getting good nutrition with the lentils and it’s very much satisfying to me. Try them and let me know what you think.

Never mind that there seems to be many versions and lots of lore about where the Sloppy Joes really originated. It has as many or more references to the name itself as it does the place. From Yip Yips, to Yum Yums to Wimpies to Sloppy Janes and more.

Whatever they’re called, they bring out the kid in all of us.

Vegan Sloppy Joe Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Lentils
6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
3/4 to 1 cup ketchup
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Add lentils to water in a medium sized pot
Bring to boil. Turn to simmer and cook for 15 minutes
Add onion and green pepper. Add cloves. Cook another 15 minutes until lentils are done
Drain water. Sea Salt and Pepper to taste. Add enough ketchup to make sloppy Joe consistency and mix well. Turn heat to medium and stir for a few minutes just to warm
Serve open faced on Whole wheat or Spelt Buns with dill pickle slices and your favorite chips