With jalapeño for heat and brown sugar for sweetness, these vegan sloppy joes will please meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Made from fermented soybeans, tempeh gives these meatless sloppy joes a heartier texture than firm tofu alone.
Ingreadient
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce package) extra-firm tofu, drained
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 jalapeño chile, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 8 ounces tempeh, finely crumbled
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 1 ½ cups strained tomatoes (passata)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 6 hamburger buns, toasted
- Bread-and-butter pickle chips, for serving
Direction
- Place tofu on a double layer of paper towels. Top with another double layer of paper towels. Place a plate on top, and weight with a can. Let stand at room temperature to drain at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Discard liquid. Coarsely crumble tofu so it resembles ground meat. (It will break down a bit more during cooking.)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add tempeh, tomato paste, and chile powder; cook, stirring constantly, until tempeh is evenly coated and a crust starts to form on bottom of skillet, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, and liquid aminos to skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Serve on buns with pickle chips.
