This is the epitome of vegetarian comfort food. It’s quick, easy, and of course, sloppy.

This was my first time making/eating any form of sloppy joes. I was generally familiar with what they were, but I’d never had them as a kid and the idea had never really crossed my mind. Luckily, I found the idea on VegWeb and took it from there. Not to mention every time I hear the words “sloppy joe” I just picture Adam Sandler and Chris Farley singing.

For those of you who are wondering, I used fancy molasses because it adds a little bit of sweetness and it has a really unique flavour. The recipe I was following called for ketchup, but I’m going to say 90% of the time I dislike ketchup, plus this recipe already has a lot of tomato in it. If you have blackstrap molasses, you could still use it, but that is a bit more bitter because most of the sugar has been removed, so you may want to add in a pinch of sugar to keep it balanced.

Here’s why I find these so interesting: You could sub-out the tofu for another soy-based ingredient or a legume. I think these would taste really good with mashed up beans, lentils or tempeh. Since you’re not relying on the shape being perfect like you would with burger patties, you can risk having a bit of a texture change without compromising taste.

The day I made these I hadn’t eaten all day, so by the time these were ready I snapped as many quick photos as I could and then ate both of the ones you see pictured. Definition of class.

Ingredients

Makes 4 Sloppy Joes

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fancy molasses
• 8 oz (1/2 pound) of firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess water
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (keep the stems attached)
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 (7.5 oz) can of pizza sauce OR 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste + 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
• Pinch of dried oregano
• Pinch of chili powder
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 4 burger buns of your choice (can also use pitas, wraps, etc.)

Method

Heat olive oil over high heat in a frying pan, then slowly add molasses. Stir while the molasses heats, then crumble in tofu. Cook tofu for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add in onion and mushrooms and reduce heat to medium—you want the tofu to be browned and the vegetables to be softened and lightly golden. Add pepper to taste.

Add in the pizza sauce OR tomato paste + 1 tablespoon of water, and stir well with the existing ingredients. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes, then mix in the mustard. At this point, the mixture should be at the general consistency that you want your final product to be (I wanted mine chili-consistency, so I simmered it a little longer to get rid of some liquid).

Once the desired consistency has been reached, add in chopped tomato, oregano, chili powder and rice wine vinegar. Stir so that all of the ingredients are combined and heated up.

Toast 4 buns on a barbecue or in the oven, and spoon out 4 equal servings of the mixture into each bun. Serve hot and enjoy!

Ideas, questions or just want to say hi? Comment below or find me on Twitter @RonnieSheppard