Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ground meats are still very expensive.  Lentils were on sale for 89¢.  I had not really considered vegan sloppy joes, but it kind of sounded good.  Besides, I still have some pizza/pasta sauce starter that I canned last year.  I have about half of what I made out of the $15 case of Romas.  Ok, so I only have to go through that once every other year.  Nice to know.

The easiest way to make sloppy joes is with canned sauce like Manwich or a seasoning packet.  Second easiest is half a jar of regular spaghetti sauce.  I got interesting with a mushroom marinara.  The smell is amazing because I put too much fresh oregano in it, which is being adjusted for the posted recipe.  (The oregano plant continues to thrive.)  I would gladly use this mixture in a lasagna or moussaka instead of the beef layer.

1 C brown lentils
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 stalk celery, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
*1 Tb Marsala or 1/4 C red wine, optional
*1 15 oz can tomato sauce
*1 Tb oregano, or 1/4 C fresh leaves
*4 hamburger buns for serving

1.  Sort and rinse lentils.  Bring to a boil in a saucepan with water to cover by one inch.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils split but are somewhat firm, about 30 minutes.  Drain.

2.  While that's going on, make the sauce.  In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium.  Add diced onion, garlic, and celery.  Cook until slightly softened.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms have given off their water, about 10 minutes.

3.  If using, add Marsala or wine to the pan and deglaze.  Add tomato sauce and oregano.  Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and cover until the lentils are ready.  It's going to look like way too much sauce.  That will be fixed once the lentils are added.

4.  Add cooked lentils to the tomato mixture and allow to simmer while you toast the buns.  When everything is ready, spoon lentil mixture generously over toasted buns and serve open-faced.

Difficulty rating  :)