Lentil Sloppy Joes

My sister sent me this recipe last week, and it sounded so good and 'comfort food' like to me. I decided that we would have it for Meatless Monday. It was delicious. I couldn't stop having little tastes before I even served it. It wasn't hard to make, and took about an hour from start to finish. I only made a couple of modifications because of ingredients I had on hand. 

Ingredients:
2 cups black lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
a pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz pureed tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
8 small buns

Place lentils in a small pot. Cover with 2 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly until spices and tomato paste are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 cups water, garlic, apricots and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and let sauce simmer until it thickens, at least 30 minutes. 

When lentils are cooked, drain off any excess cooking liquid.  Add lentils to the pan with sauce; stir well to combine. Mash some or all of the lentils using a wooden spoon. Toast hamburger buns in the oven, if desired. Ladle 1 cup of the lentil mixture on each toasted bun and serve.