Sweet and smoky sloppy joes with extra fiber and protein from lentils! Super easy - just throw everything in the slow cooker and come back at dinner time.
1small zucchinishredded (could substitute a carrot, other veg, or just leave out)
3/4cupsplit red lentilsdry
1 1/2cupwater or brothbeef, chicken or veg
1cupketchup
1tspsalt
4tbspapple cider vinegar
1/2cupBBQ sauce
1/2tspminced garlic
2tbspWorcestershire sauce
1/3cupbrown sugar
1-2pinchesred pepper flakes
Instructions
In a large pan, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until browned.
While ground beef is cooking, add remaining ingredients to slow cooker (I used a 6qt, and it was about half full).
Add ground beef to slow cooker and give everything a good stir.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Notes
My slow cooker is on the cool side, as far as temperature goes. I got a new slow cooker at Christmas and I noticed a huge difference in cooking times, having to add hours more when I made the switch. You should know your slow cooker and adjust cooking time as necessary. You might find it's cooked in 5-6 hours on low, though letting it sit on Warm for a couple hours likely won't hurt anything. **NOTE: Nutrition information is estimated and will vary depending on exact serving size, types and brands of products used.