I’ve fallen behind on so many things lately but at least on one thing, I’ll be on time and well prepared. A tasty Fourth of July meal of mini sloppy joes and fries. Easy and quick to make, you’ll be out of the kitchen and relaxing in no time.
For an extra flavorful filling, I went with a combo of Turtle Island’s Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh and soy chorizo. With such strong flavors already, I didn’t bother to add any more spices (you could if you wanted to or if you’re using just plain tempeh).
If you’re lazy like me, grab a pack of Trader Joe’s mini hamburger buns and a bag of Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Seasoning and you’re all set. If you’re the baking type, Vegan Dad has a great whole wheat hamburger bun recipe here. And if you don’t want frozen fries, here’s for my recipe for Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Chips.
Mini Sloppy Joes
Makes about 8 mini sandwiches
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 package soy chorizo
1 package Turtle Island Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh, crumbled
4 ounces tomato sauce (1/2 of an 8 oz. can)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1 package of Trader Joe’s mini hamburger buns
Heat wok or skillet to hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the onions and garlic, cook until translucent. Add the carrot and cook another minute or so.
Add the soy chorizo, breaking it up with the spatula in the wok, stir to combine. Add the tempeh and continue to stir until well mixed. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve on toasted mini buns.
I’ve only once before tried making sloppy joes, and I wasn’t terribly impressed then. This recipe looks like it could repair that bad memory though- That “bacon” tempeh is amazing by itself! I bet it would do delicious things in a recipe like this.
Great and easy way to put all those products together. I’m all for simple and easy these days! ;)
Mmmm… I love burgers!.. so sloppy joes must be even better. (Messy is good, no?)
I actually have a batch of Vegan Dad’s buns in the freezer, so I think I know what’s for dinner.
So easy and I love the tempeh/Soyrizo combo. I didn’t realize TJ’s had those mini buns. Perfect!
The little buns are so cute, and the meal looks perfect for July 4th — easy to make, fun to eat.
I had sloppy joes every week growing up. This brings back such fun memories!
So cute! Now I have a whole week and a half to plan on making these.
Sloppy Joes….hmmm sounds so good!
Yummy! These look delicious. The buns are so cute. Trader Joe’s is coming to my city and I can’t wait. In the meantime, I will make the buns. Thanks for the great 4th of July meal suggestion.
These look amazing. I will have to try them!
Ooh, those sloppy joe’s look killer–I’ve never thought of using soy chorizo as the meat base. Great idea!
This is so awesome! I just made sloppy joes and sweet potato fries for dinner last night. I do them with TVP, but the texture of these looks great so I’ll have to try yours out.
I haven’t tried the Turtle Island tempeh bacon, sounds like I need to find some next time I’m at Whole Foods :) ps. these are the cutest!
I am really sorry and I am not being a purist, but what is the point in being a vegan if we buy ‘Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh’? At least call it something different. I am sure the recipe is lovely and tasty. Additionally, I don’t live in a place where I can buy anthing like this and have to rely on normal vegetables etc. Surely the skill in cooking is based on not using pre-packed and processed foods. Anyone can open a packet. I know I may have offended some people here and I am sorry, but should we be promoting something called bacon? Come on guys we are just playing into the hands of the corporate. Can’t we just have smoked tempeh?
I have not tried making sloppy joes so I guess this is the right time to finally make it. I’m not a fan of tempeh, can you suggest an alternative of it?