Maggie's Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes

The temperatures each day of the past week have been dropping, little by little. Tonight it's supposed to dip below 50 degrees and tomorrow I'll wear my first sweater of the season. I've had apple cider, gotten the first of the fall squashes in my CSA (delicata!), and purchased my first pie pumpkins at our local farmer's market. I don't care if fall doesn't officially start for a few more days; it's fall to me. 

This particular dish perfectly straddles this late summer/early fall time, including some summer produce and minimal heating up of the kitchen paired with savory, warm flavors and a hearty texture. 

All things fall make me happy. The colors of the trees = happy. The smell of the air = happy. The sweater-ready weather = happy. The food = happy. This particular recipe is certainly included! 

Maggie's Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1 small/medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 stalk celery, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

3/4 c. green lentils

1/4 c. red lentils

2 c. vegetable broth

1, 15 oz. can unflavored tomato sauce

1/4 c. tomato paste (most of a 6 oz. can)

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 T. sugar

1/2 T. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions

1. Saute the veggies in the instant pot until the onions are soft (add a bit of oil or water/broth to saute). 

2. Add all other ingredients and stir well. 

3. Close the lid and set to the "sealing" position, then cook on the manual setting for 15 minutes. 

4. Allow a natural release for 15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure, stir and eat!

Helpful Hints

• To make this a gluten-free dish, make sure to swap out soy sauce in favor of tamari and double-check your veggie broth ingredients. Then simply serve on a gluten-free roll! 
• To make this soy-free, simply leave out the soy sauce and double-check your veggie broth ingredients. You can add 1 T. extra water (but you likely won't need to) and simply use a richly flavored veggie broth. 
• This could also be made on the stove. Saute the veggies as above then add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer until the green lentils are soft and the red lentils have melted away. 
• To make this thicker or thinner, use 1 3/4 c. water (thicker result) or 2 1/4 c water (thinner result). 
• This recipe makes enough that we freeze half of it for a future easy dinner. Lentils freeze amazingly well, so portion and freeze in ways that will work best for you. 

The post "Maggie Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes" first appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.