• Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes 6 sandwiches
  • Serving size: 1 sandwich
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The bun-dripping, finger-licking goodness of a Sloppy Joe sandwich is hard to resist. These easy vegan Sloppy Joes are made with wheat berries and a mild, kid-friendly sauce. For a spicier meal, add a few drops of hot sauce or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes before serving. Feel free to make extra date paste, which will keep at least a week in the fridge and up to three months in the freezer. It can be used to sweeten baked goods as well.

By Del Sroufe,

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup pitted dates
  • ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • ½ cup finely chopped celery
  • ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups cooked wheat berries
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato purée
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire or tamari sauce
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 whole-grain hamburger buns, split

Instructions

  • Combine the dates and ⅓ cup water in a small saucepan, and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Place the dates in a blender, and purée until smooth and creamy, adding cooking water, as needed.
  • Combine the onion, celery, and bell pepper in a large skillet, and cook over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Stir in the wheat berries, tomato purée, date paste, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 10 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in buns.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1 sandwich): 321 calories, 63 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 3.3 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 413 mg sodium, 9.6 g fiber, 15 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (4)

(5 from 1 vote)

Recipe Rating

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Angie

I see myself substituting a can of drained and rinsed small white beans for the wheat berries. Otherwise, this sounds delicious.

Kathy Rowland

Did you use the white wheat berries or the winter red wheat berries?

Jwiltz

I am not sure which wheat berries I bought. I bought them in bulk in Amish country. They were probably red berries.

Jwiltz

This is one our favorites! It’s easy to make, taste delicious, and serves a lot. We make it frequently. Yummy!

About the Author

Headshot of Def Sroufe

About the Author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe currently works as Culinary Specialist at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) and host of CNS Kitchen, a free CNS community that offers members all the tools they need to live a successful whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle. Sroufe has been cooking in vegetarian, vegan, and WFPB kitchens for 34 years. He has operated his own vegan bakery and a vegan meal-delivery service. He was the executive chef at Wellness Forum Foods, where he ran a successful catering service. He developed a line of in-the-bag mixes that could be shipped all over the country and taught cooking classes to the public and health care professionals looking to offer culinary education to their clients. Del is a public speaker and cookbook author. His first cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook, was on the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 37 weeks. He also authored Better Than Vegan, which tells the story of his struggle with weight management and how he lost more than 200 pounds on a low-fat, plant-based diet. Sroufe’s other cookbooks include The China Study Quick and Easy Cookbook and The China Study Family Cookbook.
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