Low-Fat Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet! Imagine a vibrant skillet brimming with tender lentils, perfectly cooked pasta, and a rich, tangy sauce that brings the whole dish together.
If you’re on the hunt for a dinner that packs a punch while keeping things light, look no further than this Low-Fat Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet! This delightful dish combines the classic, comforting flavors of Sloppy Joes with the nutritious goodness of lentils and the heartiness of elbow macaroni.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We absolutely adored this delicious Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet and couldn’t get enough of its rich flavors! Seriously, we devoured every last bite, and I can’t emphasize enough how you’ve got to give this one a try! Not only does it deliver all the comforting vibes of a classic Sloppy Joe, but it also sneaks in a healthy twist that makes it perfect for any night of the week.
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Low-Fat Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet is a tasty skillet dinner full of Sloppy Joe feels and flavors. Elbow macaroni and lentils make this low-fat dish hearty.
- Appearance and Mouthfeel: This “Sloppy Joe” recipe is reminiscent of a lentil “Beefaroni” or American Goulash.
- Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This dish was designed to be low in fat. Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this dish. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat dish. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe.
- Amount: This recipe makes a generous amount of food, easily serving 6 to 8 people. We love to make this recipe as a meal prep as it holds up well in the fridge.
- Tenderness of the green bell peppers, celery, and onions: We found that the tenderness of the peppers, celery, and onions created a highly contentious argument in our family. Some family members wanted the onions, celery and peppers perfectly tender to match the tenderness of the lentils while others were perfectly fine with a tiny bit of crunch from the sauteed veggies. Be sure to cook the peppers, celery, and onions to the desired tenderness before moving to Step 4.
- Amount of Pasta: We used 6 oz. of elbow macaroni, but this dish could easily handle 8 oz. For a saucy dish, use 6 oz.
- Elbow Macaroni: Feel free to substitution the elbow macaroni with your favorite small cut pasta like ditalini or small shells.
- Gluten Free Pasta: Feel free to use gluten free elbow macaroni.
- Lentil Substitutions: You can substitute the lentils for beans, crumbled tofu, or soy curls with the understanding that the dining experience will change accordingly.
- Sweetness: Traditional Sloppy Joes have a certain amount of sweetness. If you look at most traditional Sloppy Joe package mixes, sugar is typically listed as the first ingredient. You can easily control the sweetness level of this recipe. We tried varying levels in kitchen trials and found that most family members preferred 2 teaspoons of maple syrup.
- Molasses: The molasses adds excellent depth of flavor and is reminiscent of brown sugar. You can leave the molasses out if you wish, but we loved it with the ½ teaspoon of molasses.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the crushed tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch.
- Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients. Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos. We recommend using reduced-sodium products.
- Canned Lentils: We used Delallo Imported Italian Lentils. They come in a 14 oz. can. Most grocery stores carry them in the specialty aisles. If using dry lentils, select lentils that hold their shape after cooking like a brown lentil such as small brown lentils called Pardina lentils. Cook dry lentils separately, adjust time accordingly. If cooking dry lentils, you want to end up with 1 2/3 cups of cooked lentils.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large skillet
If you try this flavorful skillet, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Low-Fat Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 40 Minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you’re on the hunt for a dinner that packs a punch while keeping things light, look no further than this Low-Fat Lentil Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet!
Ingredients
Skillet Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 celery rib, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 1 – [ 28 oz. can ] crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
- 1 to 3 teaspoons pure maple syrup *
- ½ teaspoon molasses *
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
- 1 Tablespoon regular chili powder (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ¼ to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- 2 – [ 14 oz. cans ] brown lentils, drained and rinsed *
- 6 to 8 oz. elbow macaroni *
Instructions
- Cook the elbow macaroni per package directions, rinse thoroughly with cold water, shake well to remove excess water, set aside to drain.
- Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk well to combine, set aside.
- Place the finely diced onions, green bell peppers, and celery into a large skillet, sauté over medium-high heat for approximately 7 to 11 minutes or until they reach the desired tenderness, stirring occasionally. Add several splashes of water to steam sauté the veggies to achieve desired tenderness and also to prevent burning.
- Once the onions, celery, and green bell peppers reach the desired tenderness, reduce the heat to medium, then add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Next, add all the remaining Skillet Ingredients (except the baking soda) and the Spice/Herb Mix, stir well, cook for 10 minutes, then add the baking soda, stir well.
- After 10 minutes, add the brown lentils and cooked macaroni, cook for 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Products Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Equipment Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: 6 to 8
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