My meat eating family loves these lentil sloppy joes! Lentils are coated in tomato sauce, brown sugar and spices and then added to hamburger buns. Lentils are much cheaper than ground beef making this budget friendly!
Add broth and lentils to a small saucepan, bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook until lentils are softened (but not mushy!), stirring often, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic, cooking until peppers are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika and cooked lentils to the skillet, stirring to fully coat lentils in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens up to sloppy joe mix, stirring often.
Serve on hamburger buns with slices of fresh onions or pickles. Enjoy! Leftover sloppy joes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. We love them over rice for lunch leftovers.