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March is always a stressful time for me at the office. Combine that with the fact that winter finally decided to show up (at this rate, we’ll have snow on the ground until June) and I’m craving comfort food like crazy. Creamy macaroni and cheese, roast chicken, pasta – I’ll take it all!

I was thinking about making a pot of my lentil and pumpkin chili, when I had the idea of using the lentils for sloppy joes instead. Lentils are a great alternative to meat in recipes like this. They’re hearty and full of fiber, protein, and iron but their flavor is relatively mild. Paired with a quick homemade barbecue sauce and piled on top of a soft burger bun, these barbecue lentil sloppy joes will take you straight back to childhood.

Cheese isn’t a traditional component of sloppy joes, but what isn’t better with a slice of cheddar? GO VEGGIE’s cheddar singles complement the barbecue flavor of these sloppy joe’s perfectly. I used their vegan cheddar singles for these sloppy joes, which kept the whole recipe vegan-friendly, but you can also use the lactose free version. Either way, you can’t go wrong! I love how these singles melt, and the vegan version has 65% less fat and half the calories of ordinary cheese.

You can use your favorite store bought barbecue sauce for these lentil sloppy joes, but it’s definitely worth it to take a few minutes to make your own. The flavor can’t be matched and it’s made with standard pantry items. I start with a combination of ketchup, mustard, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce – just like mom used when I was a kid – but I sweeten it with maple syrup instead of brown sugar and add a good pinch of cayenne pepper. The result is subtly sweet, tangy, and a little spicy. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, omit the cayenne and add more maple syrup to taste.

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BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes

Quick homemade barbecue sauce gives these lentil sloppy joes a ton of flavor. You can also substitute 1 1/2 cups of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce plus 1/4 cup water.

Servings 4

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 cup green or brown lentils
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• ¾ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 hamburger buns
• 4 slices GO VEGGIE Vegan Cheddar Flavor Singles

Instructions

• Add the lentils and two cups of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 25 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the lentils begin to soften.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in another pan. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until softened. add the ketchup, vinegar, water, syrup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
• Add the partially cooked lentils to the sauce and simmer 10 minutes, or until soft. Adjust cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Divide the lentils among the rolls; top each with a GO VEGGIE cheddar single.

Notes

*Traditional Worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it, so be sure to look for a vegan version if that's important to you. I use this one.

Next time there’s snow in the forecast, forget about running to the store for milk and bread – this lentil soup is all you need. It’s ridiculously good and really easy to make. With the exception of merguez, which can easily be swapped out for Italian sausage, the ingredients are all staples that I always have on hand.

Merguez is a North African sausage made out of beef or lamb mixed with warm spices like cumin and Harissa. It’s packed full of flavor and is typically served grilled, but it’s also amazing in omelets and soups like this one. It can be hard to find, so when I see it I like to pick up a few extra packages for the freezer. (You can also make homemade merguez; skip the casing if you only plan to use it for this soup.)

I took inspiration from the flavors of the sausage and seasoned this soup with garlic, cumin, and coriander, which give more depth to the flavor of the broth. The last minute addition of kale balances out the soup’s richness and adds a touch of freshness, while a drizzle of vinegar brightens it up.

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Lentil and Kale Soup with Merguez

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 349kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces merguez or Italian sausage crumbled
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs finely chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon roasted ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon roasted ground coriander
• 1 cup lentils
• 28 ounces chopped tomatoes in puree
• 8 cups water
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pan set over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and garlic; cook until the onions are soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spiced and cook 1 minute.
• Ad the lentils, tomatoes, and water. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Season with salt, to taste. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Protein: 16.6g | Fat: 1.8g | Fiber: 15.7g

 More Lentil Recipes that are perfect for winter:

Roasted Eggplant and Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Lentil and Pumpkin Chili

Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

I’m sitting at an airport Starbucks right now, waiting for my flight to DC for Eat, Write Retreat. The people sitting behind me keep glancing over like “What is that crazy girl doing with a million pictures of food?” (Hi people reading over my shoulder!) Anyway, it’s going to be a great weekend, and I hope to come home with new skills and fresh inspiration that will help make this blog better. I’m really excited!

I’m also really excited about last night’s dinner – I just couldn’t wait any longer to share it. I really enjoyed the Southwest lentil patties that I created for the lentil challenge that I participated in last year, and I knew that I wanted to do a fresh take on them this year. This time, I put a Moroccan spin on the patties, with lots of lemon zest, cardamom, and za’atar. They had a wonderfully bright flavor and a great falafel-like texture with a crispy exterior and a soft, velvety center. Served over a salad inspired by some gorgeous kale that I picked up at the Schenectady Green Market, this was a light, yet super filling dinner that we both enjoyed immensely.

For any of you from the Capital Region who love the Troy Market but have never been to the one in Schenectady, I urge you to check it out! It’s on Sundays, which a little inconvenient for me (I like to plan y weekly menu and get my shopping out of the way on Saturday) but I really love it. The atmosphere is more intimate than the Troy market and the produce seems rawer and a little rough around the edges — but in a good way! There are always unique items to be found, like mustard greens, this amazing Russian red kale, and white beets. Whereas I tend to leave the Troy market with tons of prepared foods, I leave the Schenectady market with arms full of fresh produce and tons of inspiration.

Lemony Lentil Patties with Massaged Kale Salad

Prep time 30 minutes , Total time 45 minutes

Serves 2

• 1/2 cup Lentils, cooked
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• Zest from one Lemon
• 1 Tbs Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Za’atar
• 2 Tbs Lentil Flour (or garbanzo bean or all-purpose flour)
• 1 Egg
• 1 bunch Red Kale
• 2 Tbs Salt
• 2 Tbs toasted Pine Nuts
• 4 dried Figs, quartered
• Splash of White Balsamic vinegar

Place the cooked lentils in a small bowl and mash gently with the back of a spoon — it should be mostly smooth, but with some bigger pieces of lentils for texture. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just soft — about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, leaving any remaining oil behind. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, spices, flour, and egg to the lentils. Mix to combine. Form into 8 balls, then flatten them slightly between your hands. Fry in remaining oil until golden brown and crispy — one and half to two minutes on each side.

Slice the kale into thin ribbons (if using a sturdier kale, like dinosaur kale, discard the center vein before slicing). Add the kale and the salt to a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the salt into the kale for 2 minutes. Gently squeeze the kale to remove as much liquid as you can – I ended up with about a half cup. Use your fingers to fluff the kale back up. Toss with the chopped figs, pine nuts, and vinegar.

Serve the kale salad topped with lentil patties.

Serving suggestion: Stuff the salad and lentil patties into warmed pita halves.

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Lemony Lentil Patties with Massaged Kale Salad

Serving suggestion: Stuff the salad and lentil patties into warmed pita halves.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup Lentils cooked
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• ¼ cup chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• Zest from one Lemon
• 1 Tbs Cardamom
• 1 tsp. Za'atar
• 2 Tbs Lentil Flour or garbanzo bean or all-purpose flour
• 1 Egg
• 1 bunch Red Kale
• 2 Tbs Sal
• 2 Tbs toasted Pine Nuts
• 4 dried Figs quartered
• Splash of White Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Place the cooked lentils in a small bowl and mash gently with the back of a spoon — it should be mostly smooth, but with some bigger pieces of lentils for texture. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just soft — about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan, leaving any remaining oil behind. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, spices, flour, and egg to the lentils. Mix to combine. Form into 8 balls, then flatten them slightly between your hands. Fry in remaining oil until golden brown and crispy — one and half to two minutes on each side.
• Slice the kale into thin ribbons (if using a sturdier kale, like dinosaur kale, discard the center vein before slicing). Add the kale and the salt to a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the salt into the kale for 2 minutes. Gently squeeze the kale to remove as much liquid as you can - I ended up with about a half cup. Use your fingers to fluff the kale back up. Toss with the chopped figs, pine nuts, and vinegar.
• Serve the kale salad topped with lentil patties.

Don’t let the lackluster appearance of mujaddara fool you — this Lebanese dish is loaded with delicious, aromatic spices that will send you on a mental vacation. One bite will remind you how amazing some of the simplest street-foods can be.

Mujaddara was on my list of things that I wanted to make even before the USA Lentil & Dry Pea people contacted me about creating some recipes. In fact, it’s been on my list ever since the first time I tasted it a few weeks ago. You see, the past few months at work have been a little crazy and I’ve had to put in some long days — working through dinner on several occasions. Luckily, Shawn is awesome and will often save me of having to order pizza or chinese (not that I don’t love those things, but I get sick of them) by bringing me some dinner from the co-ops small, rotating selection of prepared foods. The selection consists mostly of sandwiches, most of which are out of the question since they have mayo on them (ew). So he’ll grab whatever the best looking thing that I’d actually eat is. As you’ve probably guessed by now, one night I was presented with a pita filled with lentils and rice, and a small container of lemon-garlic sauce. I looked at it and wanted to cry. How could this starchy bunch of brown carbs possible taste good? But I was hungry, so I hesitantly took a nibble. And I was blown away.