Sloppy Lentils
Sloppy joe filling built from lentils, tomato powder, and molasses. One pot, no bun required.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Red lentils | 1/2 cup | red cook in 12 minutes; brown lentils need 25 and more fuel |
|---|---|---|
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for the can of sauce and the paste |
| Bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | vegetable, for the broth |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Molasses powder | 1 tbsp | or another tbsp brown sugar plus a pinch of instant coffee |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Mustard powder | 1 tsp | |
| Cayenne | a pinch | optional |
| Soy sauce powder | 1 tsp | or carry liquid tamari in a dropper bottle |
| Apple cider vinegar powder | 1 tsp | or a vinegar packet from a deli |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Tortillas or bagel | 1 | optional; buns turn to crumbs in a pack |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Add the lentils, minced onion, and bouillon.
- Simmer 12 minutes with the lid mostly on. Stir now and then so nothing scorches on the bottom.
- Kill the heat and stir in the tomato powder, sugars, garlic, mustard, cayenne, soy powder, and vinegar powder.
- Put it back on low for two or three minutes, stirring, until it thickens and stops sliding around the pot.
- Stir in the oil, salt, and pepper. Spoon it onto a tortilla or eat it straight.
The original simmers brown lentils in broth, then cooks a canned tomato sauce down for another quarter hour. That is two boils and a lot of fuel. Red lentils solve it: they break down in about twelve minutes and thicken the pot themselves, so the sauce arrives already at the right consistency.
Everything wet in the original has a powder that does the same job. Tomato powder replaces both the can and the paste, and it hydrates in the residual heat rather than needing its own simmer. The molasses is what keeps this from tasting like plain tomato lentils, so do not drop it without putting something dark and sweet in its place. Add the acid and the soy at the end; boiling them long only flattens them out.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil goes in one bag: lentils on the bottom, the sauce powders on top. The oil rides in a dropper bottle. Tortillas go flat against your back panel.
Variations
- A handful of instant potato flakes thickens it fast if you overshot the water.
- Crumbled dehydrated refried beans add body and another 6 g of protein.
- Skip the tortilla and eat it over instant rice or couscous.
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-sloppy-lentils