Fun fact, I was actually a vegetarian in high school and a bit of college. I felt so sick so often when eating that eliminating meat was one way I was trying to feel better. Little did I know that it was the wrong thing to eliminate! Years later I finally figured out the celiac disease was the culprit, and runs in my extended family! Some uncles and cousins have it and likely my grandmother who was told later in life she had a wheat allergy. She passed away when I was quite young so I never got the chance to talk with her about it! I often wonder if celiac disease just wasn’t understood then, given that it was barely understood 10 or so years ago when I found out.
When I was a vegetarian I wasn’t into cooking. That came later. Having various vegan and vegetarian friends and family members is how I got into vegetarian cooking. This recipe can easily be made vegan with vegan hamburger buns and vegenaise for the aioli. You could also put the filling on tostadas, they are just as good and can be enjoyed hot or cold!
These sliders aren’t quite sloppy joe’s but they sure are sloppy, and delicious! I’ve made variations of this recipe for years and they seem to be a hit! Would you want to see other vegetarian variations, perhaps without lentils? This recipe is pretty simple but you can add sliced onion and bell peppers if you want to mix it up. Because it’s so sloppy, it is often better enjoyed as an open faced sandwich. I typically try it as a sandwich before losing most the insides and making it open faced. If you are wondering what bread I used, I love the Trader Joe’s gluten free hamburger buns. They are the best I’ve tried.
I hope you enjoy this easy recipe! If you ever make my recipes please send me pics. It makes my week!
Don’t miss the video recipes on my TikTok! Looking for another lentil recipe? Try this salad.
Vegetarian Sloppy Sliders
Ingredients
Instructions
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Look for the garlic aioli recipe on my website under "Bits and Bobs" (link above) and follow the directions. Store in the fridge.
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Roughly chop the mushrooms and add to a pan with oil and about a tsp of jarred garlic. Heat on medium heat.
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Once the mushrooms are cooked, drain and rinse a can of lentils and add it to the pan.
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Add in BBQ sauce of choice. Start with about 1/3 cup and add more as needed. Season to taste with paprika and heat through.
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While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 320 degrees
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Butter your hamburger buns and sprinkle some garlic powder on top. Toast in the oven, keep an eye on them and remove when slightly toasted.
I've found that gluten free bread softens when slightly toasted with butter in the oven. -
Remove the lentils from the heat and start to make your sandwiches or open face sandwiches but putting lentil mixture on then the aioli sauce.