Hearty sloppy joes don’t have to be a distant memory if you’ve gone meatless. These tasty sammies are loaded with sweet and smoky spices, protein, onions, and mushrooms.
I used to love sloppy joes as a kid, and hadn’t had them in years. I was getting a hankering for them, and called my mom to find out her secret recipe. “Ground beef and ketchup.” Hmmm. I’d been thinking about how to make them meatless, and then the June issue of Cooking Light magazine came, with this wonderful recipe for Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joes. It was a perfect starting point for my quest.
The renovation: I used texturized vegetable protein (TVP) instead of the ground beef. You’ll also find TVP in my chili recipe, veggie keema, and these grilled Vietnamese appetizers, so buy a bag, don’t worry that you won’t use it again. I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, added some smoked paprika to enhance the meatiness, and some additional sugar in the form of agave, as I was trying to replicate my taste-memory of these.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets

Healthy sloppy joes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1-1/2 cups texturized vegetable protein see notes below
- 8 ounces mushrooms cremini
- 1 cup onions chopped (230 g)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato paste organic, no salt added (115 g)
- 1 tsp oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika pimenton
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 dash hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 1/2 C. filtered water in a glass dish in the microwave until just under boiling. Add the TVP and set aside.
- Clean the mushrooms using a damp towel to remove any soil. Add to your food processor with the S-blade attachment and pulse until finely chopped.
- Remove the skin and finely chop the onion. Peel the garlic cloves and mince finely.
- Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and tilt to coat the pan evenly. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook five minutes, stirring to cook evenly. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook five minutes more.
- Add tomato paste and the rest of the ingredients to the pan; turn down the heat and put on the lid. Cook about 15 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve on your favorite toasted gluten-free bread or bun.
Notes
- 111 calories
- 2 g fat
- 0 g saturated fat
- 1 g monounsaturated fat
- 0 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 207 mg sodium (67 mg sodium with salt omitted)
- 518 mg potassium
- 16 g carbohydrate
- 3 g fiber
- 9 g sugars
- 8 g protein
- 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus
[…] Vegan sloppy joes […]
[…] Vegan sloppy joes […]
Oh yum! You are making me hungry, and it is only 8 in the morning ;)
GREAT idea for the kids, too. Thanks!
Thanks Laura. It really is a delicious one and a great way to get veggies into a sammie.
Can you post Recipe for gluten-free for Worcestershire sauce
Hi Wilman, I have that recipe in my e-book Twenty Terrific Low-Sodium Condiments ($2.99):
http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Terrific-Low-Sodium-Condiments-Stephanie-ebook/dp/B00IVTUELM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455644903&sr=8-1&keywords=Twenty+terrific+low+sodium+condiments
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can purchase the PDF version here:
http://braverendeavor.com/book/twenty-terrific-low-sodium-condiments-pdf/
If you’re not concerned about sodium, use either gluten-free tamari or Braggs liquid aminos in place of the Lo Bao dark soy sauce (which is also gluten-free, but might be harder to find).
Worcerstershire sauce takes at least 2 weeks in the fridge to make.
Good luck and thanks for writing!