As May comes to a close, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It’s a time for gathering with family, sharing meals, and remembering those who served. For this month’s Newport Food Pantry recipe, we’reoffering a Sloppy Joe–style filling that’s perfect for Memorial Day weekend and easy to make for a crowd.
This recipe is flexible by design. You can make it with ground meat, lentils, or a combination of both. It’s hearty, budget friendly, and great for cookouts, picnics, or quick weeknight dinners. Serve it on buns, over rice, or alongside a simple salad.
Ingredients: (For 6 adult-sized servings)
- 2 tbs oil
- 1 pound ground meat (Ground beef or turkey work well. You can also decrease the amount of meat and increase the lentils.)
- 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed (Use green or brown lentils. If using canned lentils, use 2 cups and reduce liquid.)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped (Optional, but classic for Sloppy Joes.)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (Garlic powder is fine if fresh isn’t available.)
- 1 cup water or broth
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbs tomato paste (Optional, for deeper flavor.)
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (Optional. Can be skipped.)
- 1 tbs brown sugar or honey (Optional. Adjust to taste.)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- To serve:
Hamburger buns, rolls, or sandwich bread
Directions:
- If using dry lentils, place them in a small pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Drain any excess liquid and set aside.
- In a large skillet or pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ground meat and cook until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add the chopped onion and green pepper to the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the cooked lentils, water or broth, ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add a little more water if the mixture gets too thick.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more ketchup for sweetness, chili powder for spice, or salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm on buns or rolls. This filling is also great over rice, baked potatoes, or as a make-ahead meal.
This Sloppy Joe–style recipe is easy to scale up, travels well, and is perfect for sharing over Memorial Day weekend.
Enjoy!
