• Begin by dicing up the veggies which include onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Other bell pepper varieties such as green and yellow can also be used if preferred.
• In a medium stockpot, saute the diced vegetables in about 5 tablespoons of the veggie broth for approximately 5 minutes. You want them to get slightly tender but don't overcook them at this point. They will continue cooking with the lentils shortly.
• While the veggies are cooking, rinse the lentils under warm water. Lentils are pretty small, so you'll need something that has smaller holes such as a rice washing bowl so they won't fall through.
• Add all of the ingredients--lentils, bulgur, fire-roasted tomatoes, veggie broth (or water), and spices-- to your stockpot and increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and cook uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The lentils should be cooked until tender but still keep their shape.
• Serve on a whole grain (or gluten-free) bun with your favorite condiments. I have a terrific homemade low-fat mayonnaise that is terrific with these. We also love to top our sloppy joes with a coleslaw that is really easy to make in minutes.

Crockpot Instructions:

• To make this recipe in a crockpot, simply add all ingredients to a large cooker and allow to cook on low for 3-4 hours.
• You can saute the veggies before adding them to the crockpot, but I completely skip sauteing the onion, celery, and bell peppers because they have plenty of time to bring out their delicious flavors in the slow cooker.