Recipe: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Makes 3 servings.

• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
    • 1/2 white onion, diced
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 16-ounce can vegetarian baked beans
    • 1 cup crumbled veggie burgers or Trader Joe's "Meatless Meatballs"
    • 1/2 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
    • 3 kaiser rolls

In a medium pan, fry the pepper and onion in the oil until soft, about 3 minutes.

Pour the contents of the baked beans can into a medium pot. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until hot. Pour in the veggie burger crumbles and stir until the crumbles thaw and separate, about 5 minutes.

Using a large wooden spoon, gently mash the contents until they combine in a consistency like very lumpy mashed potatoes. At this point much of the sauce with the beans will have dried off. Stir in the pepper and onion, then the barbecue sauce and paprika. Cook, stirring, until it regains the firm consistency like mashed potatoes.Mix in the parsley and remove from heat.

Cut the rolls in half and spoon the contents of the pot over each roll bottom. If desired, serve with sour cream or a tomato slice.

Max Fisher is a former writer and editor at The Atlantic.