Description
These tempeh reuben sandwiches with caramelized onions and mushrooms are healthy comfort food at its tastiest! Tempeh bacon, Swiss cheese, caramelized onion, mushrooms, pickles, sauerkraut, and dijon mustard are piled high onto sourdough bread, grilled, and served with Russian dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
Tempeh Bacon
- 1 (8-oz) block organic tempeh
- 2 tbsp reduced sodium tamari
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Russian Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (vegan, if desired)
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp minced green onion
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caramelized Onion and Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (from 12–15 mushrooms)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sandwiches
- 1 batch of tempeh bacon from above
- 1 batch of caramelized onion and mushrooms from above
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 8 tsp salted butter (vegan, if desired)
- 4 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup sauerkraut (with liquid squeezed out)
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese, or 8 slices vegan Swiss cheese
- 4 pickles, sliced
Instructions
- Make the tempeh bacon: Steam the tempeh for a couple of minutes (this makes it more absorbent) and then slice into 12-16 strips. Place in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Whisk together the tamari, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, smoked paprika, and pepper in a small dish and pour over the tempeh. Turn to coat each strip evenly in the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the tempeh to absorb the flavours. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Make the Russian dressing: Place mayonnaise, tomato, ketchup, dijon mustard, green onion, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Make the caramelized onions and mushrooms: Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions plus a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook over medium heat until they are fragrant and browning nicely. Turn down heat slightly and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are quite soft, browned, and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a separate dish and use the same skillet to dry sauté the mushrooms until the liquid has evaporated out of them and their volume has reduced significantly. Combine the mushrooms with the onion and set aside.
- Assemble the remaining ingredients: Grate the cheese, slice the pickles, and squeeze the liquid out of the sauerkraut.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Spread butter on the outsides of each sandwich. Spread dijon mustard on the inside slice of bread, followed by 3-4 slices of tempeh bacon, onions and mushrooms, sauerkraut, and cheese. Top with the second slice of bread and repeat with the remaining bread and fillings.
- Cook the sandwiches in a cast iron skillet or on a griddle for 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and crispy and the cheese has melted. Carefully add the sliced pickles to the sandwiches. Slice each sandwich in half and serve Russian dressing on the side.
Notes
- The Russian dressing makes twice as much as you’ll need for the sandwiches, but it keeps well in the fridge and is the most delicious sauce for veggie burgers and sweet potato fries!
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Supper
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan reuben sandwich, vegetarian reuben sandwich, tempeh reuben sandwich