WOAH. Two new-to-me ingredients in the first two weeks of the year!
Are we killing these new years goals or what?
Sloppy. Joes. Has there ever been a better and more delightful comfort food?
Answer: of course not. Sweet and savory, thick and chunky, warm and sloppy. Pretty sure that’s the Webster’s Dictionary definition of “comfort food.”
Funny enough: I love sloppy joes. Love love love them. Just like my chili, I don’t like them loaded with a bunch of different veggies.
Just a sweet & savory sauce, “meat,” and a perfectly simple bun. Oh, and pickles. Always pickles.
And that’s what we have today! Sloppy joe simplicity is bliss, friend.
Oh, and not to toot my own horn, but Mark said that these vegan sloppy joes were “even better than regular sloppy joes.”
*toot toot*
Ready for dinner in 15 minutes? Let’s do it.
This sloppy mixture comes together all in one pot, and it starts with an onion! Minced and sautéed until translucent. You’ll also add in your tempeh and cooked farro in this step too.
For those who don’t know, tempeh is a fermented soy product. It looks kinda weird in log form (almost like brie cheese), but it’s a fabulous vegan meat substitute because it gives you that same chewy texture. It doesn’t have much flavor on its own, so that’s why we need a hella flavorful sauce to go along with it.
I guess I was blissfully ignorant as a kid because I actually had no idea how sloppy joe sauce was made. Surprise of all surprises, I found out I had to buy ketchup for the first time in my life.
Because…I hate ketchup.
Yes, really. I know it’s probably sacrilegious not liking ketchup and being from Pittsburgh (because, you know, Heinz). But that’s where I am. Please don’t hate me.
Luckily, the ketchup just adds richness and sweetness to these sloppy joes, and the other ingredients – dijon mustard, tomato sauce, tamari (soy sauce), apple cider vinegar, and smoked paprika – help balance out that cloyingly sweet ketchupy flavor. Woot!
And that’s that! Mark absolutely went bonkers over these sloppy joes, and they’re simple enough for me to whip up whenever his (or my) cravings strike.
I hope you love getting sloppy with these!
Vegan Tempeh Sloppy Joes
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/vegan-tempeh-sloppy-joes-10.jpg
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: serves 5-6 | Total: |
Heck yes vegan comfort food! A simple tomato-based sauce, protein-rich tempeh, and fiber-packed farro are used to make this quick and delicious dinner!
You'll Need...
- 8 oz. tempeh, crumbled by hand into medium chunks
- 1 cup cooked farro (or brown rice)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, minced
- salt + pepper
- 15 oz. tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- optional: 1 tsp. brown sugar
- for serving: buns, pickles, etc.
Directions
- Add tempeh and farro to your food processor and process until broken down and crumbly. You want it to look like beef crumbles!
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onion, and your tempeh-farro mixture, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, mix tomato sauce, ketchup, dijon, apple cider vinegar, tamari, and smoked paprika in a large bowl. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. If you want it sweeter, add brown sugar.
- When your onion is translucent, add your sauce and mix to combine. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add some water. Cook until everything is nice and hot and serve with buns, pickles, and whatever toppings you desire!
Additional Notes
Adapted from Meggan at Culinary Hill!
I made this recipe a while ago (like probably half a year ago). And it was good. Next time I wanted to make Sloppy Joes I didn’t have any tempeh. What I did have was a big bag of green lentils. So I googled for “lentil sloppy joe”, and found Minimalist Baker’s recipe (https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/). So I made that one, but was really disappointed. It was nowhere nere as good as I remembered this sloppy joe recipe. So today, when I wanted to use up the last of that bag of green lentils I just went back to this recipe and used my lentils instead of the tempeh. And it was good! So, so good :) Thank you Alexa for this recipe :)
What a comment! So glad you enjoyed it, Tobbe <3