Gluten Free Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

 I have had this recipe in my "to do" file for a while now. I do not remember where I discovered this crock pot recipe, more than likely Pinterest. I am going to write out the ingredients for the recipe, because while I did add in the ingredients, I did not follow the cooking instructions. Therein lies the reason I prefer to cook with my crock pot, no cooking involved, just throw it all in the pot and forget it....sounds like an ad.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium size yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 and 1/2 cups dried lentil beans, picked over and rinsed
1 15-16 oz can tomato sauce
3 cups water 
2 tablespoons soy sauce I used gluten free)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours

The recipe said to saute the onions in the olive oil, when softened, add the chili powder, then put this into your crock pot. Well, let me just say, I am not a big fan of sauteed vegetables. Especially in sloppy joes. I prefer a little crunch to the onion or green peppers when I add them to the ingredients. For me, it is about the texture of the vegetable. I digress.

In my crock pot I mixed together the uncooked onions, lentils, water, tomato sauce, water, gluten free soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and pepper. I forgot the chili powder. I put on the lid and went about my daily chores. Occasionally I would stir the sloppy joe mix. 

After 7 hours of being in the crock pot on high heat, the mixture was not thickening up to my satisfaction. It had more of a soup consistency, not a thick sloppy joe consistency. My handsome husband (the cook) said to add a small amount of flour. I do have some gluten free rice flour on hand. I added 2 teaspoons. My handsome husband gave me a 6 oz can of tomato paste to add to the mix. Well, this did the job. The sloppy joes were nice and thick. 

I placed the sloppy joes on a gluten free hamburger bun. Added some fresh vegetables on the plate. I had quite a delicious, healthy supper.

The next time I make this, and I will definitely make this again, I will "spice" it up with the chili powder and maybe some paprika. 

I am very happy with the results of the crock pot sloppy joes. If you have any favorite additional ways to serve sloppy joes besides on hamburger buns, please leave your ideas in the comments below. Your input is greatly appreciated!

Everyone, thank you for reading.
Have a blessed day!
~Kathy~