Open-Faced Pineapple BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches

These sandwiches were a delicious way to eat the pineapple BBQ sauce!  Tempeh is sliced thin, coated with BBQ sauce, and baked.  A slice of bread is topped with a few slices of the tempeh, more BBQ sauce, and seared pineapple chunks.   The tempeh soaks in the BBQ sauce and comes out of the oven slightly sticky and delicious.  Of course you could make these with any BBQ sauce, but if you do use the pineapple BBQ sauce -- use the extra canned pineapple chunks for the topping!

I served these sandwiches with sweet potato fries and a large salad on the side.  For the salad dressing, I just thinned some of the BBQ sauce with water and drizzled it over top.   Worked pretty well and was super easy.  I also dipped the sweet potato fries in extra BBQ sauce-- I couldn't get enough of it!

I had the leftover tempeh for lunch the next day with extra BBQ sauce, but no bread.  It was great that way too!  I like that this is an easy and delicious way to eat tempeh, as I'm always on the look out for more good tempeh recipes.  This recipe serves 3, which isn't ideal.  If you serve 2 at dinner, I would have the extra  serving for lunch (as I did).  You could even cut it up and throw it on a salad and I bet that would be good!

Open-Faced Pineapple BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches

serves: 3

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce (such as pineapple BBQ sauce) 
• 1 8 ounce package tempeh (any variety)
• about 3/4 cup pineapple chunks
• 3 slices thickly-cut good quality bread, toasted*

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper).

2)  Cut the tempeh in half through the long side so you have two pieces that are each 3.5 inches by 3 inches.  Now you want to make the tempeh thinner.  Carefully slice each half into thirds so the tempeh is about 1/8 inch thick.  You will now have 6 pieces that are 3.5 inches by 3 inches.

3)  Place the tempeh on the baking sheet and cover with 1 cup of BBQ sauce.  Turn tempeh so both sides are coated.

4)  Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.  Remove tempeh from oven and flip.  Return to oven and continue baking for another 10 minutes.  

5)  Meanwhile, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pineapple chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes.

6)  Place slices of bread on plates.  Spread each slice with more BBQ sauce.  Top each slice with 2 pieces of the tempeh, more BBQ sauce, and pineapple chunks.  Serve immediately.

Note: Toast the bread right before serving.  If you are going to have some of the tempeh for leftovers, only toast the bread that you will need for the meal.

(recipe barely adapted from edible perspective--- thanks for such a great dinner and BBQ sauce!)