Vegan Sloppy Joes
If you’re looking for a fun, hearty, and meatless recipe for dinner tonight, you’ve landed on the right page. We LOVE these Vegan Sloppy Joes served on a big fluffy roll with oven-baked potato wedges or spicy BBQ chips. The mix is easy to make with a TVP base as our meat alternative and no lentils! And the spicy / sweet sloppy joe sauce will have everyone clamoring for seconds.
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Sloppy Joes ALWAYS remind me of the movie It Takes Two. The one where one of the Olsen twins (undercover, of course) bites into a sloppy joe at summer camp and calls it the “big gooey messy burger” – remember that?!
Anyway, that’s my only memory of a sloppy joe because, well, I had never had one! That is, until T brought these vegan sloppy joes into my life. And I gotta say – I am a MAJOR fan of the “big gooey messy burger”!
And although I don’t know what the original sloppy joe tastes like, we have shared this meatless recipe with plenty of people who eat classic Sloppy Joes regularly. It got stellar reviews from every one of them, so apparently T is really onto something here.
I think you’re going to like these, so let’s get on with the recipe!
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What’s in Vegetarian Sloppy Joes?
There are a couple components to these vegan sloppy joes: the tomato blend mix which will act as our sloppy joe sauce, the veggies and meatless crumbles, and the roll we serve it all on!
For the tomato blend, you’ll need:
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Ketchup – Use something high quality because this will determine a lot of the flavor in your sauce! We love the agave-sweetened ketchup from Organicville because it has just the right amount of sweetness and packs a big tomato flavor.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce – We like Wizard’s (it’s also gluten-free)!
- Gravy Master – Yep, it’s vegan! This will add a beefy flavor.
- Chili powder
- Soy sauce – or tamari, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or coconut aminos
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt
For the veggies and meat crumbles, you’ll need:
- Vegetable oil – For sautéing. If you don’t use oil, you can saute in water or veg broth.
- White or yellow onion – diced
- Green pepper – diced
- Textured Vegetable Protein – Dry TVP can come in many forms – like strips, chunks, or crumbles. Get the crumbles for this recipe. This is what we’ll use as our meatless meat base! We like the brand Bob’s Red Mill or Anthony’s Goods. Both can be found on Amazon, and Bob’s can be found in many grocery stores in the US.
- Jalapeno peppers – finely minced
- Fresh garlic – minced
- Hot water
How to Serve Meatless Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Serve the vegan sloppy joe filling on a hamburger bun topped with pickle slices with a side of potato wedges, BBQ chips, or a salad with vegan ranch for a great kid-friendly dinner!
They’d be the perfect plant-based dinner or lunch for a picnic, family cookout, or just a meal on the porch.
How to Store Leftover TVP Sloppy Joes
This recipe makes a ton, so it’s likely you’ll have leftovers unless you’re feeding a small army. Here are our best tips for storing the leftovers.
FRIDGE: Store leftover sloppy joe filling in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
FREEZER: Store leftover sloppy joe filling in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. We like freezing the leftover filling in our 1/2 cup Souper Cubes for easy portioning. Each ½ cup cube is 1 hefty serving, so it’s perfect for just popping out exactly what you need instead of having to defrost a giant block. Let the filling cool completely before freezing.
More TVP Recipes:
When you make these tasty TVP sloppy joes, let us know!
We’d love it if you’d leave a rating and review on the recipe below. It helps more people find our recipes!
We hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we have. 🙂
Vegan Sloppy Joes
If you’re looking for a fun, hearty, and meatless recipe for dinner tonight, you’ve landed on the right page. We LOVE these Vegan Sloppy Joes served on a big fluffy roll with oven-baked potato wedges or BBQ chips. The mix is easy to make with a TVP base as our meat alternative and no lentils! And the spicy / sweet sloppy joe sauce will have everyone clamoring for seconds.
Ingredients
FOR THE BLENDED TOMATO MIX:
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp Gravy Master
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
FOR THE REST:
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup small diced white or yellow onion
- 1 cup small diced green pepper
- 3 cups Textured Vegetable Protein
- 1 – 2 jalapeno peppers finely minced
- 5 large cloves fresh garlic minced
- 3 cups hot water
FOR SERVING:
- Hamburger rolls
Instructions
- MAKE THE BLENDED TOMATO MIX: Add all the mix ingredients to a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- SAUTE THE VEGGIES: In a large saute pan or pot, heat the oil on medium high heat and saute the onions and green pepper together in the oil for 3-5 minutes. They should be soft and fragrant, but not charred or dry. Add TVP, jalapeno, and garlic. Sautee another 2-3 minutes, stirring often to combine well.
- SIMMER IT: Add the blended tomato mixture and 3 cups of hot water to the TVP. Stir well. Then, turn the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes uncovered, stirring often to avoid burning. You can add more water if needed, but be sure not to let it get too “soupy”. You want a nice thick crumbly texture.
- SERVE/STORE: Serve on a big roll with a side of potato wedges or BBQ potato chips! Store leftover Sloppy Joe mix in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or the freezer for up to 8 weeks.
Notes
- You want the final product to be moist/wet, but not soupy.
- If you want to add more ”heat,” you can add 1-2 tsp of your favorite hot sauce to the mix when you blend it together
- STORAGE TIP: We like freezing the leftover filling in our 1/2 cup Souper Cubes for easy portioning. Each 1/2 cup cube is 1 hefty serving, so it’s perfect for just popping out exactly what you need instead of having to defrost a giant block
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