I was sitting in the associate lounge at work yesterday, eating my lunch; leftovers from the night before. Thom’s Vegetarian Sloppy Joe recipe is a delicious combination of sweet and spicy and it smells amazing reheated. There were the usual comments as my coworkers filed in for a meeting; rumbles of “that smells so good” and curious glances at my lunch led most of them over to see what I was eating. I laughed as their eyes widened as they observed my loaded bun and the remains in the bowl I had used to reheat.
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“Hey, I thought you didn’t eat meat?” The look of confusion on my coworkers’ faces was enough to make me chuckle. I love it when they figure out that just because it’s meatless, doesn’t mean it’s tasteless and boring.
How I Came to be Vegetarian
I grew up in a meat eating family; a meat and potatoes kind of family, actually. Sundays were for pot roast; Ground beef used daily; Steaks and chicken breasts for special occasions. There was a point, my doctor thought, that it just became to much for my body. She had a suspicion I was becoming allergic to beef so she suggested I cut out for a while to see if the symptoms persisted or if they went away.
They went away. As did, quite a few pounds. The weight loss was enough to keep me going; I cut out all meat and lost even more weight. Score!
Spoiler alert! That didn’t last long. You can read more about my vegetarian journey later, because I’m dying to share Thom’s Vegetarian Sloppy Joe recipe!
Vegetarian Sloppy Joe Recipe for Two
Now, Thom is the kind of cook that, basically, just throws everything in a pot and calls it good. And, it turns out amazing. Every time. The ingredients for his sloppy joes changes a lot, based on what we have in the house. Sometimes he throws in celery with the veggies. He’ll add a dash of Worcester sauce, or he”ll chop up fresh jalapeños, whatever peppers we have available (fresh from the container garden in the summer), fresh tomatoes. If it’s laying around the kitchen; he’ll throw it in.
As a base, he always starts with Morningstar veggie burgers or crumbles. (He says to tell you he prefers the crumbles-half a bag of them)
Start by chopping whatever vegetables your using; small dice. Cook the veggie burgers according to package instructions and chop those as well.
Add the oil and heat over medium heat. Throw in the veggies and the can of diced tomatoes (with water) and cook until slightly tender, 3 or 4 minutes.
Throw in the spices; garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste, stir. Dump in the ketchup and mustard. To give his sloppy joes a little kick, Thom shakes in some Slap Ya Mama (affiliate link). He uses it on everything.
Time to add the veggie burger crumbles.
Heat over low to medium heat to let the flavors mingle. It’s starting to look like a party in there. Put a lid on it to keep things contained.
Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and it’s ready!
Check for seasoning again and S&P accordingly.
Serve with warmed or toasted buns. I like a little extra mustard on top.
Faux Joe For Real
See how beautiful and “real” Thom’s Vegetarian Sloppy Joe looks? The taste is the most amazing thing about it and for textural eaters, like me, it’s the perfect faux sloppy joe recipe.
What do you think? Would you give this faux joe a try? Tell me below or, as always, join in the conversation over at the Desperately Seeking: Inspiration for Creative Living Facebook page. I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
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- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
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- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
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- S & P to taste
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- Shake of Slap Ya Mama
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- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
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- 1 teaspoon mustard
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- 3/4 cup ketchup
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- 1 can Rotel
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- 1 large green pepper
- 4 Morningstar veggie burgers cooked according to package instructions
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- Heat oil over medium heat.
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- Add peppers and cook until slightly tender.
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- Add diced tomatoes with juice.
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- Stir in mustard, ketchup, Slap Ya Mama, and garlic powder.
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- Add veggie burgers.
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- Put a lid on and simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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- Reduce heat to low.
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- Carefully remove lid and stir in brown sugar.
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- Return heat to medium and cook until sugar is melted and heated through.
- Salt & pepper to taste and serve hot.
