Weekends around here tend to be get busier than weekdays. There are errands to run, laundry to do, groceries to buy, Jay's swim class at the Y, and Leo and Lily's long hike on the Capitol View trail, among a long list of things that simply have to get done because there's not going to be any time during the week to do them. Often, in the midst of scrambling from one thing to the next, it dawns on me that the clock has ticked past one, and there's not a thing to eat or feed for lunch.
This sandwich has, at times like these, come to the rescue.
For one, it takes literally minutes to put together because there's no cooking involved. Well, so long as I use canned beans, and I always use canned cannellini beans for this one. Then there's just a bare minimum of prep work and chopping to do: mince a stalk of celery, a shallot, and a few sprigs of parsley, and run the knife through some Kalamata olives and capers, and I am pretty much done.
The other thing I love about this sandwich is just how healthy it is. There are beans here, and you don't need me to tell you how healthy those are, and then there's tempeh, which, of course, needs no defense. Together, they pack a ton of protein into this sandwich to power us through the rest of a busy day.
Now I know tempeh is not Tuscan or Italian, but in this sandwich, which I adapted from this one, it's a stand-in for tuna. Olive oil is usually added to the filling, but I chose not to because I wanted to make this lower fat. Besides, the olives in the recipe stand in nicely and add tons of flavor.
I mentioned I make this on hurried weekends, but this is also a favorite brown bag lunch for Desi and me. I could eat it every day and never get tired.
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Vegan Tuscan Tempeh and Bean Sandwich
Ingredients
For the bean filling:
- 28 oz cannellini beans (approx two cans, drained and rinsed)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed fine)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- Juice of half a lemon, approx 1 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon capers (roughly chopped)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For the tempeh filling:
- 8 oz tempeh
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives (chopped)
- 1 rib celery (finely minced)
- 1 shallot (can sub with red onion, minced)
- Juice of ½ lemon, approx 1 tbsp
- 2 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
To assemble the sandwich:
- 8 slices wholegrain bread (or Italian bread)
- 2 cups greens like spinach or watercress or arugula or a mix (loosely packed)
Instructions
Make the bean filling:
- Make the bean filling by placing the beans in a bowl and mashing them with a fork. I like mashing them fairly smooth, with a few chunks, since we are not using any mayo in the recipe.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the mashed beans and mix well.
Make the tempeh filling:
- Crumble the tempeh with your fingers into a bowl. Don't leave any large chunks.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the tempeh and mix well.
Assemble the sandwich:
- Layer on the greens on a slice of bread, then add the bean filling and top with the tempeh.
Beverly
Do you do anything to prep the tempeh, or crumble it straight out of the package?
Vaishali
Hi Beverly, just crumble it straight out of the package. The other ingredients flavor it quite nicely.
Beverly
Thanks so much! I look forward to trying this! I've been wanting to venture into tempeh, especially for a quick sandwich salad.
Vaishali
Awesome, hope you try! 🙂
Ruth Eisenbud
This looks like a recipe I would like.... it looks filling and makes use of mediterranean ingredients, though I don't understand why tempeh has to 'stand=in' for tuna.... Tempeh has a long tradition of use and can definitely stand alone. Tempeh is not a substitute for tuna.... it is tempeh.