Smoky Mushroom and Lentil Sloppy Rolls

One Pot on the Road

2 filled large rolls · Active 20 min · Total 40 min

Finely chopped mushrooms and canned lentils make a rich, spoonable filling for soft rolls. The mushrooms are browned before the tomato sauce is added, giving the mixture more depth than a quick wet simmer would. Smoked paprika and a small amount of brown sugar make the sauce rounded rather than simply sharp. The filling should be thick enough to sit in the roll, though part of the pleasure is accepting that this is a fork-nearby sandwich.

Jump to ingredients

Soft rolls filled with smoky mushroom and lentil tomato sauce.

Chop, then give the pan time

Mushrooms release water before they brown. Chop them into small pieces, add them to a broad skillet and allow that moisture to evaporate. Stir occasionally, not constantly. Once the edges begin to darken, add the garlic and paprika. Pouring in tomato sauce while the mushrooms are still swimming in liquid loses the main opportunity to develop a savory base.

Make the sauce thick enough to hold

Canned lentils are already cooked, so they need only heating. Drain and rinse them gently, then add them after the sauce is mixed. Simmer until a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a brief trail and the filling holds a loose mound. If it becomes too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time. The goal is moist filling, not either a puddle or a dry crumble.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml)
  • 8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped (225 g)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (100 g)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 can cooked green or brown lentils (15 oz/425 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup passata or plain tomato puree (120 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15 g)
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (15 ml)
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar (8 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 large soft bread rolls

Set out

10-inch skillet, Knife and cutting board, Sieve, Wooden spoon

Allergens

Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high. Cook mushrooms and onion for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until released water evaporates and the mushrooms brown in places.
  2. Add garlic and smoked paprika and stir for 30 seconds.
  3. Fold in lentils, passata, tomato paste, cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt and black pepper.
  4. Simmer over medium-low for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until hot and thick enough to mound on a spoon. Add teaspoons of water only if the mixture becomes dry.
  5. Split the rolls. If desired, toast their cut faces briefly in a clean dry skillet. Divide the filling between them and serve immediately with a fork nearby.

Make the plate do some work

Serve these on a plate with a rim rather than a napkin alone. A small galley meal can still be relaxed; having a fork and somewhere for escaped filling makes the sandwich more enjoyable than trying to keep every lentil inside the bread.

A useful detail

Tomato puree means different products in different places. Use smooth pourable passata for the 1/2-cup measure and concentrated tomato paste for the tablespoon measure.

Another way

  • Use drained canned black beans instead of lentils, crushing half of them to help bind the filling.
  • Add 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes with the smoked paprika for more heat.

Keep it well

Refrigerate the filling within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, in a shallow covered container at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat to 165°F/74°C. Store rolls dry and separate and assemble only when ready to eat.

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