Smoky lentil sloppy joes
Brown lentils in a thick smoky tomato, pepper, and mustard sauce served between whole-wheat bread slices.
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Brown lentils make a coarse, spoonable filling for these smoky sloppy joes. Onion, pepper and tomato soften around the lentils, while mustard and a little maple syrup give the sauce a tangy finish. Ready-to-eat whole-wheat bread keeps the cooking to one covered skillet and provides the sandwich portion.
Cook the lentils before reducing the sauce
Use dry brown lentils that hold their shape as they soften. Rinse them and check for small stones before starting. The first simmer uses water, with the tomatoes and stronger condiments saved for the finishing stage. This makes it easier to check the lentils’ centers before thickening the sauce around them.
Keep the pan covered during that first simmer and stir occasionally so lentils do not settle into a dry layer at the bottom. A gentle bubble is enough. If the water disappears while the centers are firm, add a small splash and continue until they are tender.
After the tomato mixture goes in, remove the lid so excess moisture can escape. Mash a few spoonfuls of lentils against the pan to bind the sauce, leaving most whole. The filling should hold a soft mound on the spoon instead of running straight off it. The rest off the heat gives it time to thicken slightly before assembly.
Build a sandwich that can hold its filling
Dice the onion and pepper finely so large pieces do not fall out between the bread slices. Cook them until softened before the lentils join them. The garlic and paprika need only their brief cook before water enters the pan; have it measured and ready.
Use sturdy, plant-based whole-wheat slices and check the ingredient label. The recipe allows two slices per sandwich, with their total weight recorded for the nutrition estimate. Thin, very soft bread will absorb the tomato sauce quickly, so assemble close to eating and use a plate to catch any drips.
Mustard and soy sauce supply salt as well as flavor. Taste the finished filling before deciding it needs anything more. Check those labels too when changing products, because the recipe includes mustard, soy and wheat, and the current bread references also declare sesame.
Save the filling without soaking the bread
The batch makes four generous sandwiches. Divide leftover filling into shallow containers, refrigerate within two hours, and use within three days. Store the bread separately according to its package directions. A covered saucepan or microwave container is useful for reheating the filling with a small splash of water.
Heat the filling to 74°C / 165°F throughout, stirring so the center warms along with the edges. Spoon it between fresh bread slices only after reheating. Compare dry lentils and bread by their unit prices when shopping; a larger loaf is useful only if you can use or store the remainder.
Smoky lentil sloppy joes
Brown lentils in a thick smoky tomato, pepper, and mustard sauce served between whole-wheat bread slices.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Additional time
- 5 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
One original serving: one sandwich with one quarter of the lentil filling
Household amounts use US cups and spoons and are approximate. Metric uses grams and millilitres; small spoon amounts may stay in teaspoons or tablespoons with scaled gram references. About ingredient measures.
Review the addition before changing your list.
Equipment: Deep skillet with lid, Wooden spoon
Equipment
Deep skillet with lid, Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Instructions
Storage & reheating
Transfer leftover filling to shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours, and use within 3 days. Reheat the filling to 74°C / 165°F throughout, stirring and adding a little water if needed. Keep bread separate and assemble only after reheating.
Substitutions
- Green lentils can replace brown lentils; simmer until tender before adding the tomato mixture, allowing extra time if their package requires it.
- A plain gluten-free tamari can replace soy sauce, but the bread still contains wheat unless separately replaced; nutrition and allergens change.
Cooking notes
- This version uses two ready-to-eat whole-wheat bread slices per sandwich. Toasting is optional and may need separate equipment.
- Cook the lentils until tender before adding the acidic tomato mixture.
- For larger batches, allow more uncovered reduction time until the filling holds a soft mound.
Contains: wheat, soy, sesame, mustard. Check the labels of your ingredients.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 524 kcal
- Protein
- 24.0 g
- Carbohydrates
- 100.0 g
- Fat
- 6.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 0.6 g
- Fiber
- 20.3 g
- Sugars
- 19.8 g
- Sodium
- 754 mg
For one original serving, excluding optional ingredients and suggested sides. How we estimate nutrition.
Ingredient nutrition sources
Estimates use the required ingredient weights above and these food references. Brands, water content, and label rounding can change the result.
- dry brown lentils, picked over and rinsed: Bob's Red Mill Brown Lentils, UPC 0003997811425, Ralphs retailer Nutrition Facts per 50 g quarter-cup. All eight tracked numeric amounts were observed and match the prior same-product record. Several retailer Daily Value percentages conflict with the printed amounts; only numeric amounts are used. Values normalized to 100 g; sodium mg, other nutrients g except kcal. Label rounding and retailer figures are estimates. Accessed 2026-10-28.
- sturdy plant-based whole-wheat bread slices: Daves Killer Bread 100% Whole Wheat retailer label per 42 g slice. The observed ingredient list contains organic whole wheat, water, cane sugar, wheat gluten, canola oil, molasses, sea salt, yeast, cultured wheat flour, vinegar, acerola powder and enzymes; no honey, dairy or egg ingredients listed. All eight tracked amounts were observed; normalized to 100 g, retaining label rounding. Sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Accessed 2026-10-28.
- onion, finely diced: USDA SR Legacy: Onions, raw. All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:170000;NDB:11282. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- bell pepper, finely diced: USDA SR Legacy April 2018 CSV: Peppers, sweet, red, raw. Nutrient values from food_nutrient.csv joined through nutrient.csv; kcal energy, grams nutrient masses, and mg sodium per 100 g edible portion. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:170108;NDB:11821. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- garlic, minced: USDA SR Legacy: Garlic, raw. All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:169230;NDB:11215. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- canned crushed tomatoes with their juices: Kroger plain diced tomatoes including tomato juice per 121 g half-cup: 25 kcal, 1 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 g fibre, 4 g sugars, 210 mg sodium. Ingredients include tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, citric acid and calcium chloride. Recipe weights include the juices. Accessed 2026-10-28.
- plain tomato paste: USDA SR Legacy: Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program). All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:170459;NDB:11546. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- olive oil: Flora Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil retailer reference explicitly states 14 g of oil per serving. Panel: 120 kcal, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat; protein, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars and sodium explicitly 0. Values normalized to 100 g; label rounding retained. Accessed 2026-10-28.
- smoked paprika: Spice Islands Smoked Paprika retailer Nutrition Facts reference per 2.3 g teaspoon; all eight tracked values observed. Plain smoked paprika, not a seasoning containing oil or salt. Values normalized to 100 g; sodium in mg, other nutrients in g except kcal energy. Retailer figures and label rounding are estimates. Accessed 2026-10-28.
- regular soy sauce: USDA SR Legacy: Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu). All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:174277;NDB:16123. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- prepared yellow mustard: USDA SR Legacy: Mustard, prepared, yellow. All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:172234;NDB:2046. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- pure maple syrup: USDA SR Legacy: Syrups, maple. All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:169661;NDB:19353. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- ground black pepper: USDA SR Legacy: Spices, pepper, black. All eight tracked fields were read directly from official food_nutrient.csv per 100 g edible food; sodium mg, other nutrients g except energy kcal. Generic food estimates vary by variety and preparation. Accessed 2026-10-28. Food record: FDC:170931;NDB:2030. USDA SR Legacy dataset download (ZIP).
- water for cooking the lentils: Aquafina purified water retailer panel explicitly lists all eight tracked nutrients as 0 per 500 mL. Zero quantities remain 0 independently of volume-to-mass scaling. This purified-water reference is not a measurement of every municipal supply. Water cost is excluded as a utility; no bottled-water price is used. Accessed 2026-10-28.
Ingredient cost breakdown
Estimated cost of the amount used; optional extras are separate.
| Ingredient | USD | CAD |
|---|---|---|
| dry brown lentils, picked over and rinsed | $1.02 | $0.65 |
| sturdy plant-based whole-wheat bread slices | $2.90 | $4.39 |
| onion, finely diced | $0.41 | $0.37 |
| bell pepper, finely diced | $1.30 | $1.10 |
| garlic, minced | $0.22 | $0.11 |
| canned crushed tomatoes with their juices | $0.93 | $0.99 |
| plain tomato paste | $0.32 | $0.47 |
| olive oil | $0.18 | $0.16 |
| smoked paprika | $0.15 | $0.22 |
| regular soy sauce | $0.06 | $0.17 |
| prepared yellow mustard | $0.03 | $0.06 |
| pure maple syrup | $0.32 | $0.34 |
| ground black pepper | $0.02 | $0.01 |
| water for cooking the lentils | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Recipe total | $7.86 | $9.02 |
| Per serving | $1.97 | $2.26 |
Price reference: 2026-10-27. Price reference: 2026-10-27. Regional prices vary. Pantry ingredients included; taxes, delivery, and utilities excluded.
Price sources & package sizes
United States · USD
- dry brown lentils, picked over and rinsed: Walmart US, US online listing; store not stated in captured result; $1.92 / 453.59237g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
- sturdy plant-based whole-wheat bread slices: H-E-B, Victoria H-E-B plus!, Texas page context; $6.42 / 708.738078125g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Avoirdupois ounces converted using 28.349523125 g per ounce. Manufacturer FAQ says all DKB bread products are vegan; snack-bar exceptions do not apply to this bread. H-E-B current ingredient list includes sesame flour and declares wheat and sesame. This price reference does not establish that every regional formula matches the separate nutrition reference.
- onion, finely diced: Walmart US, Phoenix E Thomas Rd Supercenter, Arizona page context; $2.76 / 1197.4838568g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Edible package mass uses USDA Food Buying Guide yield: 1 lb purchased mature whole onions yields 0.88 lb raw ready-to-cook onion; actual trimming loss varies.
- bell pepper, finely diced: Walmart US, US online listing; store not independently selected; $0.86 / 119g. Price source (observed 2026-10-27). Observed USD$0.86 per pepper, with no retailer mass. Assumed one retail pepper supplies the USDA medium-pepper edible portion of 119 g; this is a typical-size costing estimate. Inferred purchased mass = 119/0.80 g using USDA 80% raw trimmed yield; neither inferred mass nor size is retailer-measured.
- garlic, minced: Walmart US, Sacramento Gerber Rd Supercenter, California page context; $3.07 / 170.09713875g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
- canned crushed tomatoes with their juices: Walmart US, Atlanta, Georgia; 30301 page context; $0.96 / 411.06808531g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
- plain tomato paste: Walmart US, United States online listing; retailer default context, checkout not verified; $0.92 / 170.09713875g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Avoirdupois ounces converted using 28.349523125 g per ounce. Retailer direct product ingredient reference lists tomato pulp and citric acid; no animal ingredients. Category snapshot gives USD 0.92; an older direct product snapshot gives USD 0.86. The more recent category reference is retained without claiming a live checkout quote.
- olive oil: Walmart US, US online listing; store not stated in captured result; $5.94 / 469.23333572g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Package mass is estimated from the olive-oil label reference of 14 g per 15 mL (0.933333 g/mL); retailer package quantity is volume, not measured mass. US fluid ounces converted at 29.5735295625 mL per fl oz.
- smoked paprika: Walmart US, Atlanta Gresham Rd S E Supercenter, Georgia page context; $2.14 / 56.69904625g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Avoirdupois ounces converted using 28.349523125 g per ounce. Smoked dried paprika powder, not a meat-flavoured seasoning blend.
- regular soy sauce: Walmart US, Atlanta Gresham Rd S E Supercenter, Georgia page context; $1.73 / 473.6g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Regular naturally brewed soy-and-wheat sauce pricing reference, not a reduced-sodium or flavoured sauce. Retailer declares wheat and soy. Generic shoyu nutrition is sourced separately; this cost observation does not certify every brand formulation. Labelled bottle volume is preserved. Package grams are estimated at 16 g per 15 mL (density 1.0666666667 g/mL), using USDA FDC 174277 portion row 94068 (1 tbsp =16 g) with the explicitly assumed metric tablespoon volume 15 mL. This is an approximate costing model, not a measured product-specific density. Actual metric net statement 444 mL is used in preference to converting rounded15 fl oz.
- prepared yellow mustard: Walmart US, US online listing; store not independently selected; $1.00 / 566.9904625g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Net avoirdupois ounces converted at exactly 28.349523125 g per ounce.
- pure maple syrup: Walmart US, US online listing; store not independently selected; $7.98 / 492.89215937g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). US fluid ounces converted at 29.5735295625 mL per fl oz. USDA maple-syrup portion is 20 g per tablespoon; FDA nutrition-label tablespoon is 15 mL, giving an estimated 1.333333 g/mL. This is a generic density estimate, not a measured package mass.
- ground black pepper: Walmart US, US online listing; store not independently selected; $3.58 / 85.04856937g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Net avoirdupois ounces converted at exactly 28.349523125 g per ounce.
Canada · CAD
- dry brown lentils, picked over and rinsed: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; store not independently selected; $4.87 / 1800g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
- sturdy plant-based whole-wheat bread slices: Metro Canada, Canada online listing; retailer default context, checkout not verified; $6.99 / 510g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Canadian vegan whole-wheat-based loaf pricing proxy. First ingredient organic sprouted whole wheat, with sprouted khorasan flour and a seed blend. This seeded sprouted loaf is a commercial price reference, not nutritionally identical to the separate generic whole-wheat/Dave's nutrition reference. Retailer marks the product Vegan and Plant Based. Manufacturer confirms Silver Hills bakery products contain no animal-derived ingredients. Contains wheat and sesame.
- onion, finely diced: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; store not stated in captured result; $2.44 / 1197.4838568g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Edible package mass uses USDA Food Buying Guide yield: 1 lb purchased mature whole onions yields 0.88 lb raw ready-to-cook onion; actual trimming loss varies.
- bell pepper, finely diced: Walmart Canada, Mississauga Heartland, Ontario L5V 2N6 (retailer default listing); $0.49 / 80g. Price source (observed 2026-10-27). Observed rounded rate CAD$0.49/100 g purchased. USDA 80% raw trimmed bell-pepper yield used as a proxy. Reference quantity is 100 g, not a whole pepper.
- garlic, minced: Walmart Canada, Mississauga Heartland, Ontario; L5V 2N6 page context; $3.97 / 453.59237g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
- canned crushed tomatoes with their juices: Walmart Canada, Mississauga Heartland, Ontario; L5V 2N6 page context; $1.97 / 796g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Package mass is estimated at 1 g/mL for this liquid food, with all juices included; the retailer label supplies volume, not measured grams.
- plain tomato paste: Metro Canada, Canada online listing; retailer default context, checkout not verified; $1.29 / 166.4g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Plain no-salt-added tomato paste. Retailer ingredients tomatoes, citric acid; no animal ingredients. Retail package is labelled by volume. Edible grams are estimated as 156 mL *16 g / 15 mL = 166.4 g. USDA FDC 170459 portion row 86698 gives1 tbsp=16 g; 15 mL is an explicit metric-tablespoon assumption, not a measured product-specific density.
- olive oil: Walmart Canada, Mississauga Heartland, Ontario; L5V 2N6 page context; $10.97 / 933.33333333g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Package mass is estimated from the olive-oil label reference of 14 g per 15 mL (0.933333 g/mL); retailer package quantity is volume, not measured mass.
- smoked paprika: Walmart Canada, Mississauga Heartland, Ontario; L5V 2N6 page context; $6.27 / 116g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Retailer ingredients: smoked paprika, silicon dioxide, ethoxyquin. This is smoked dried pepper seasoning; no animal ingredient listed.
- regular soy sauce: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; retailer default context, checkout not verified; $6.77 / 630.4g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). Regular naturally brewed soy-and-wheat sauce pricing reference, not a reduced-sodium or flavoured sauce. No animal ingredients listed in the regional product ingredient references. Labelled bottle volume is preserved. Package grams are estimated at 16 g per 15 mL (density 1.0666666667 g/mL), using USDA FDC 174277 portion row 94068 (1 tbsp =16 g) with the explicitly assumed metric tablespoon volume 15 mL. This is an approximate costing model, not a measured product-specific density. Price is from Walmart Canada. Metro ingredient reference lists water, soybeans, wheat, salt, brewing starter. Metro sale price 6.49 expired September 30, 2026 and is not used.
- prepared yellow mustard: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; store not independently selected; $1.47 / 400g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). USDA yellow-mustard portion is 5 g per teaspoon; FDA nutrition-label teaspoon is 5 mL, giving an estimated 1 g/mL. This is a generic density estimate, not a measured retailer package mass.
- pure maple syrup: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; store not independently selected; $8.48 / 500g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28). USDA maple-syrup portion is 20 g per tablespoon; FDA nutrition-label tablespoon is 15 mL, giving an estimated 1.333333 g/mL. This is a generic density estimate, not a measured package mass.
- ground black pepper: Walmart Canada, Canada online listing; store not independently selected; $2.27 / 85g. Price source (observed 2026-10-28).
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