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Home » Products » BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

October 23, 2015 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 20 Comments

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Hello! This recipe for BBQ tofu sandwiches comes to you from vegan cookbook author extraordinaire Robin Robertson’s newest volume, Cook the Pantry. I was fortunate to receive a review copy of the cookbook and had the chance to try several recipes – so before I get sharing the one for these BBQ tofu sandwiches, I’ll spend a little bit of time discussing what’s inside.

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches with from scratch sauce and fresh vegetable slaw on a soft hamburger bun | yupitsvegan.com. Recipe for hearty vegan BBQ tofu sandwiches, adapted from Cook the Pantry by Robin Robertson.

The premise of Cook the Pantry is simple: recipes (which are 100% vegan!) can be made with almost entirely pantry (or frozen) ingredients, and are intended to take 20 minutes or less to make. This is a concept near and dear to my heart, since (as evidenced by my sustained difficulties with posting on this blog frequently) I have been struggling to find very much time to cook recently. One of the other biggest advantages of pantry-friendly cooking is that by stocking up on non-perishable ingredients when they’re on sale, and always having ingredients ready to prepare a quick meal (rather than turn to takeout food), one can save quite a bit of money on food. So I was very excited to receive this particular cookbook.

You’ll find Cook the Pantry divided into a few different sections and chapters. First, a chapter on pantry stocking and kitchen equipment, similar to what you see in many other vegan cookbooks. Chapter 2 focuses on soups and stews, including curry-spiced pumpkin bisque, Moroccan-spiced vegetable stew, and chipotle corn chowder. Chapter 3 highlights pantry-friendly salad recipes, like avocado goddess potato salad, hearts of palm ceviche, and taco salad with black bean salsa.

Chapter 4 features pizza, burgers, and sandwiches, and was probably the most delicious-sounding chapter of the book. Here you’ll find artichoke muffaleta po’boys, samosadillas, and more (including the BBQ tofu sandwiches, recipe below!). As a tip from me, buy active dry yeast sold in a glass jar, and store it in the freezer. It’ll last pretty much forever in there and then (assuming you keep flour on hand), you’ll pretty much always be ready to make your own pizza dough. Store-bought pizza dough can be used, but I prefer to make my own when I can because the store-bought version often contains ingredients that I avoid and is more expensive.

Smoky, sticky, and sweet bbq sauce smothered tofu with cabbage seasoned with rice vinegar, mustard, and black pepper, garnished with cilantro and served on a whole wheat roll

Chapter 5 is titled “Stovetop Suppers”. Some of the most delicious-sounding entries include the Asian-style vegetable pancakes and the layered tortilla skillet. I also prepared, and loved, the Tuscan chickpea frittata (not pictured), which is a vegan frittata made with chickpea flour, and featuring sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and spinach. (Note: many of the recipes in the book call for frozen spinach. I personally don’t care for the taste and texture of frozen spinach so I usually wait for fresh spinach to go on sale or arrive in my CSA share, and then eat a lot of it at once. Another good way to keep fresh greens in stock is to buy heartier, longer-lasting green vegetables like cabbage.)

Chapter 6 comprises pasta dishes, such as puttanesca in a pinch (though I daresay my own One Pot Spaghetti Puttanesca takes the trophy and is very pantry-friendly to boot), Manchurian black bean noodles, and giardiniera mac and cheese, which I prepared and photographed.

Review and giveaway of Cook the Pantry by Robin Robertson, which includes this fabulous #vegan giardiniera mac and cheese.

The recipe notes mention something that is part of a frequent theme throughout the book: feel free to swap out the giardiniera vegetables (which are tangy Italian pickled vegetables) for other veggies or mix-ins of your choice. I could not actually find jarred giardiniera vegetables at either of the grocery stores I frequent, so instead I used marinated artichoke hearts, and I also added steamed broccoli and kohlrabi greens (thank you, CSA!). This may not be the best vegan mac and cheese I’ve ever had (and my coworkers did not particularly appreciate the nutritional yeast-y smell coming from the microwave when I brought leftovers for lunch), but it’s quite tasty and I love how adaptable it is.

I used dry-roasted whole wheat breadcrumbs in place of the panko, and I toasted them in a skillet without any oil, stirring frequently until they browned evenly (the recipe calls for them to be fried). I also used whole wheat pasta. I prepared the “cheese” sauce as written. In the future I would add just slightly more acid – or use the pickled vegetables, which I imagine would provide the right amount of tanginess to balance out the dish. Even with all the extra veggies I added the result was fairly saucy (not a complaint, just an observation!).

Closeup of gooey giardiniera mac and cheese made with fresh broccoli and kholrabi and roasted whole wheat breadcrumbs

Chapter 7 rounds out the book with desserts. Some promising recipes include the raw baklava, fudgy mug brownie, and easy chocolate pie.

My overall impression of Cook the Pantry? It’s another winner from Robin Robertson, with a wide variety of easy, appealing, approachable recipes. Probably the biggest drawback – and I will be the first to acknowledge that this is inherent to the concept of the book – is the relative lack of fruits and vegetables in the dishes. Going forward I will most likely use this book by selecting recipes from it as a base, and adding vegetables that I have on hand as either a quick side dish, or incorporating them into the recipe like I did with the mac and cheese.

Nevertheless, this is an extremely solid cookbook. All of the recipes that I tried worked as intended and had great flavors. The ingredients used are found at most stores and the recipes are written with simple instructions. You’ll find full-color photos for around 1/3 to 1/2 of the recipes. This is a great book to have around for quick meal ideas, especially ones that would also please non-vegan guests.

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

My favorite recipe from Cook the Pantry that I made was the BBQ tofu sandwiches, so I chose to share that recipe with you today. The recipe is originally titled ‘BBQ Jack Sandwiches’ and calls for jackfruit, but suggests using tofu or tempeh, among other choices, as a replacement if jackfruit is unavailable. It’s a bit of a trek to the Asian supermarket from where I live, so rather than pick up canned jackfruit I did in fact substitute extra-firm tofu, which I cut into strips and lightly pan-fried before simmering in the BBQ sauce. P.S. if you’re looking for a homemade BBQ sauce recipe, the roasted garlic sriracha barbecue sauce recipe on my website is a household fave.

I served my sandwiches with a quick slaw of finely-shredded green cabbage seasoned with rice vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and cilantro. These can get a bit messy, so keep a napkin handy!

Closeup of an open face sandwich with lightly pan fried tofu coated in sweet homemade roasted garlic sriracha barbecue sauce, fresh cabbage slaw, and a whole grain roll served with blue chips on a cutting board

 

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5 from 3 votes

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

These easy and delectable vegan BBQ tofu sandwiches are a fantastic vegetarian sandwich option and made with pantry staples.
Course Main Course, sandwiches
Cuisine vegan, vegetarian
Keyword bbq tofu sandwiches
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 sandwiches
Calories 379kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

  • 16 oz extra-firm tofu drained
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 oz chopped green chiles drained
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce (I used homemade)
  • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp prepared mustard
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 sandwich rolls split and toasted (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat sandwich buns)
  • other toppings for serving as desired such as cabbage slaw, chopped green onion, or lettuce

Instructions

  • Wrap the drained tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place on a cutting board. Use a heavy object to press the tofu for at least 20 minutes, then slice into slabs. Prepare a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When hot, place the slabs of tofu into the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp on the bottom, 3-5 minutes. Gently flip and continue cooking until the other side is also crisp, 3-5 more minutes, then transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
  • When the tofu has cooled, slice into thick matchstick shapes. Add to a saucepan along with the rest of the ingredients, and cook over medium-low heat until heated through and the tofu has absorbed some of the barbecue sauce.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste, and serve hot on toasted sandwich rolls with other toppings of choice.

Notes

To make gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free sandwich buns (or other gluten-free serving vessels), and be sure to choose gluten-free tamari rather than soy sauce, as well as a gluten-free barbecue sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 4.1mg

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the product for review. All writing and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Lunch, Products Tagged With: meat analogues, nut-free, quick, refined sugar-free, sandwich, soy

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Comments

  1. Lydia Claire says

    October 30, 2015 at 00:43

    I’ve bought a few of Robin’s books and would love to win this one!

    Reply
  2. Corrine says

    October 30, 2015 at 00:38

    We would love to win this book!

    Reply
  3. Constance says

    October 29, 2015 at 18:01

    I love trying new plant recipes, especially on my meat-eating hubby!

    Reply
  4. Kelsea Nixon says

    October 28, 2015 at 19:12

    Cant wait to try this book out!

    Reply
  5. Jermisha says

    October 28, 2015 at 14:06

    5 stars
    The recipes look delicious and simple to make. I like recipes that are full of flavor but take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

    Reply
  6. Jennifer Manriquez says

    October 27, 2015 at 13:11

    I love all of Robin Roberston’s cookbooks! I use Vegan on the Cheap almost daily. Would love to win a copy of this one! Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  7. Karen D says

    October 27, 2015 at 07:48

    Would love to have this book. Thanks for the chance.

    Reply
  8. Samantha says

    October 26, 2015 at 14:52

    5 stars
    This bbq tofu sandwich looks delicious along with the other recipes from the cookbook!

    Reply
  9. KathyD says

    October 25, 2015 at 09:34

    It’s always good to have a book handy for ideas for quick meals from the pantry.

    Reply
  10. Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says

    October 25, 2015 at 06:56

    These look delicious. I’d love the tofu in other forms / dishes too!

    Reply
  11. MizzB says

    October 24, 2015 at 12:44

    Looking forward to making & sharing the BBQ tofu recipe, & checking out the rest of Robin’s latest. She is such an awesome cook/writer!

    Reply
  12. Nicollette D says

    October 24, 2015 at 10:30

    This book looks amazing. Can’t wait to try some of the recipes.

    Reply
  13. Christa says

    October 24, 2015 at 08:35

    Great review!

    Reply
  14. Natalie says

    October 24, 2015 at 00:06

    I would love to start my vegan cookbook collection with this one!

    Reply
  15. Julie says

    October 23, 2015 at 19:25

    This cookbook looks great!

    Reply
  16. Alice says

    October 23, 2015 at 14:14

    I might have to buy this cookbook if I don’t end up winning the giveaway!

    Reply
  17. TinaMarie says

    October 23, 2015 at 11:52

    This sounds/looks delicious! Looking forward to trying it.

    Reply
  18. Terri Cole says

    October 23, 2015 at 11:32

    5 stars
    I never would have thought to add the canned green chiles to barbecue! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.

    Reply
  19. DeanneO says

    October 23, 2015 at 08:50

    I am dying to get my hands on this book!! I love Robin Robertson’s stuff, all of it!! These recipes look AMAZING!!

    Reply
  20. Terri says

    October 23, 2015 at 07:54

    Looks delish!

    Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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