The sloppy Joe: I hadn't had one in years, but one day browsing recipes I saw one for a lentil sloppy Joe. I was intrigued, and it kind of sounded good. I bookmarked it and came back to it a few weeks later. The original recipe I saw did not suit me, so I looked around a bit more and found this one which was a better match for what I had on hand.
You may notice that the recipe I followed calls for 1/2 cup ketchup. In an odd turn of events, we had used more of our ketchup than I had realized (although, honestly, I hate ketchup and didn't check before I started the recipe. When you dislike ketchup like I do you never dream you'll run out... I only use it in recipes, and the only other thing I've used it in that I can think of is meatloaf, maybe twice. We occasionally have hot dogs or other dishes that Thomas likes ketchup as a condiment on, but I really didn't think we'd have less than 1/2 cup!). Pondering possible substitutions, I came up with barbecue sauce or tomato sauce. I asked Thomas' opinion and we decided to try the barbecue sauce. It was a success! It added a really nice flavor and sweetness that I don't think it would have had otherwise. In the future I think I will always do half ketchup and half barbecue sauce.
Lentil & Beef Sloppy Joes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
Lentil & Beef Sloppy Joes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried brown lentils
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried brown lentils
~1 cup water
1/4 tsp. oregano
8 ounces ground beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. oregano
8 ounces ground beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Sauté onion, carrot, bell pepper, and ketchup in vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and continue to cook for about a minute.
- Add lentils, oregano, and water. Boil about 5 minutes, then reduce heat and cover, simmering about 35 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure there is enough water. Add more water in 1/4 cup increments if necessary.
- In the meantime, brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain off fat.
- To ground beef, add Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce, stirring until combined.
- Add fully cooked ground beef mixture to lentil mixture. Continue cooking until lentils are done.
- Serve hot, on hamburger buns.
Cheesy Hamburger Buns
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
4 Tbsp. softened butter
1 large egg
2/3-3/4 cup lukewarm water
- Mix all ingredients until well combined, sticky, and gooey. Cover and let rise about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Divide dough (taking into account my advice above). Your dough will still be sticky. You can add a little bit of flour to make this process less messy. Place on baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Shape into small rounds. The original recipe uses a hamburger bun pan. I used a baking sheet, which resulted in misshapen buns, but it's what I had :o)
- Let rise another 30-60 minutes, or longer if you have time.
- Bake about 20 minutes.
You can't have something that sounds this good without pictures!
ReplyDeleteI know, I know... talk to my photographer ;o)
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