Select sauté on your Instant Pot, and add the onions and peppers with a tablespoon or two of water and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. Then add all remaining ingredients, close the lid and turn the valve to the sealing position. Set to high pressure for 6 minutes. (It will take 10-15 minutes to build pressure before counting down.) When the timer is complete, quick release the steam valve.
Serve with buns and toppings or enjoy as a soup.
Stove Top Directions
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onions and peppers with a tablespoon or two of water and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are cooked and the liquids are mostly absorbed.
Serve with buns and toppings or enjoy as a soup.
Video
Notes
*Make it a soup: To make vegan sloppy joe soup, add an additional cup of tomato sauce and two additional cups of veggie broth to your pot. So, use 6 cups of broth and 2 cups of sauce.Do not add salt. Omitting salt in the recipe was not an oversight. If you're using broth and Tamari or soy sauce, you likely won't need extra salt. Once cooked, taste and add more salt if needed.Use SPLIT red lentils, not whole red lentils. Split lentils absorb more broth and sauce and make the dish thick so that a sandwich will hold nicely. If you don't have split red lentils, split yellow or green peas also does a good job of this. If you don't have any split lentils or peas, use more green or brown lentils with similar results.Adjust the seasoning: Don't be afraid to spice these up to amp up the flavour. I keep these mildly spiced to keep them kid-friendly, but if you want heat, add some cayenne pepper or a dash or two of hot sauce.For soy-free: Omit the Tamari and use coconut aminos OR omit, and add a little salt, to taste.For added nutrients, add more chopped veggies like celery, diced potato, mushrooms, peas, and/or carrots.Leftovers keep refrigerated for 3-4 days or freeze airtight in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.