Lentil Sloppy Joes with Spring Slaw

From The Yearlong Pantry by Erin Adlerson

Excerpted with permission from The Yearlong Pantry: Bright, Bold Vegetarian Recipes to Transform Everyday Staples by: Erin Alderson published by ‎Hardie Grant North America, October 2024, RRP $35.00 Hardcover.

Credit: Erin Scott

Lentil Sloppy Joes with Spring Slaw

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• Spring slaw 

  • 1 large carrot, julienned

  • 1 large raw golden beet, peeled and julienned 

  • ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced 

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 

  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds 

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt 

• Lentils

  • 1 cup (180 g) dried brown lentils 

  • 4 cups (960 ml) water 

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt ½  medium yellow onion

• Sloppy Joe Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 

  • ½ medium yellow onion, minced 

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt 

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced 

  • ¼ cup (60 g) tomato paste 

  • ½ cup lightly packed (100 g) dark brown sugar 

  • 1 (15-ounce / 425 g) can tomato sauce 

  • 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce 

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

  • 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard 

  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 

  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice 

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

• For serving

  • 8 semi-thick slices of soft white sandwich bread, toasted

Procedure:

1. Make the slaw. Combine the carrot, beet, and red onion in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, celery seeds, and salt. Massage the mixture together and set aside until you are ready to serve. 

2. Make the lentils. Combine the lentils with the water, salt, and onion in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the lentils are quite tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the onion, then use a potato masher to crush the lentils with the leftover liquid, until about half the lentils are in pieces. 

3. Make the sauce. While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook until quite tender, 14 to 16 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for a minute or two more until the garlic is fragrant. Add the brown sugar, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, stone-ground mustard, paprika, allspice, and black pepper. Turn off the heat. 

4. Add the sauce to the cooked lentils. The mixture will seem a bit thin. Bring the mixture to a rapid simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and the lentils soak up the flavor of the sauce, around 10 minutes, depending on how much liquid your lentils had left. 

5. Serve. Divide the lentil mixture and slaw between four slices of the toast, then top with the remaining pieces of toast and slice each sandwich in half.