Tuscan Tempeh and Bean Sandwich

This no-cook and protein-packed Tuscan Tempeh and Bean Sandwich flavored with parsley, olives, capers and garlic, is a favorite in our home. The filling is free of added fats. I love piling it high onto a wholegrain slice of bread — or a chunky slice of Italian bread — for a filling, healthful, and delicious meal.

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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Tuscan Tempeh and Bean Sandwich

This Tuscan Tempeh and Bean Sandwich is flavored with olives, capers, parsley, and garlic, and makes a filling and healthy meal on a busy day, or for the brown bag.

Prep Time10 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian American fusion

Servings: 4 big sandwiches

Author: Vaishali Honawar

Ingredients

For the bean filling:

• 2 approx 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed fine or put through a garlic press
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lemon, approx 1 tbsp
• 1 tbsp chopped capers
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the tempeh filling:

• 1 8-oz package unflavored tempeh (I used the three-grain)
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 rib celery, minced
• 1 shallot, minced (can sub with red onion)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, approx 1 tbsp
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To assemble the sandwich:

• 8 slices wholegrain bread or Italian bread
• 2 cups loosely packed greens

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.

Notes

I usually serve with just some sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes on the side for a perfect and filling meal.

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More Tuscan flavors from the archives:

Rustic, saltless Tuscan bread

Tuscan white bean stew