Description
These loaded Vegan Tortas might just become your new favorite meal. A fresh roll filled with incredibly flavorful tofu!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Tofu Filling
- 1 Block Super Firm Tofu (see Note 1)
- 1.5 cups Vegan Beef Broth or Vegetable Broth (see Note 3)
- 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- .5 Cup Orange Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3-4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Jalapeño, Finely Chopped / Minced
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
For the Vegan Tortas
- 4 Bolillo Rolls (Telera rolls or any other roll you like)
- Vegan Mayo (see Note 4)
- Vegan Pepperjack Cheese Slices, Optional
- White or Red Onion, Sliced
- Tomato, Sliced
- Avocado Slices or Vegan Guacamole
- Lettuce of Choice (we used romaine)
- Pickled Jalapeños, Optional
- Tomatillo Salsa / Salsa Verde
Instructions
- Prep: Thinly slice or shave the tofu (this is why the super firm or pressed tofu works the best). Prepare the marinade by whisking together the ingredients in a large bowl. Place the sliced tofu in and gently stir. It's ok if the tofu breaks a little bit. Let the tofu sit in the marinade for about 5-10 minutes. It doesn't need to be a long time since we'll be cooking the tofu down in the marinade.
- Cook the Tofu: In a large nonstick skillet or frying pan, add the tofu and liquid and then cook until all the water evaporates / soaks into the tofu. Stir every once every few minutes and cook about 15-20 minutes. You can cook on high heat at first, but once most of the liquid is gone, you'll want to turn it down to medium heat and pay more attention to it. (Note: If you're making torta ahogada, you'll want to save some of this broth to soak the sandwich, much like an Italian beef!)
- Prep the Rest of the Fillings: If you want to toast your roll with a bit of vegan butter, go ahead. You can do this in another skillet, a grill pan, or a toaster oven. Note that if you want melty cheese, you can do it easily during this step. Slice up everything else. We like to blot excess liquid off tomato slices with a paper towel so it doesn't make the sandwich soggy.
- Assemble the Vegan Tortas: Spread vegan mayo or whatever you're using on the sandwich on both the bottom and top bun. Add a generous scoop of the tofu, then add the rest of the fillings and stuff as full as you'd like. It works like regular sandwiches: the more the better until you make it impossible to eat, hah!
- Serve: Enjoy your vegan tortas immediately.
- Storage: Store any leftover components in separate airtight containers. The cooked tofu will last in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, though we found it hard to not nibble on it here and there... it's even good cold!
Notes
- Note 1: I’m talking about the kind in the vacuum-sealed plastic, not a tub full of water. I recommend the super firm tofu if you can find it. I can usually find it in grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, supermarkets, and Asian markets. You could use extra firm tofu instead, but you'll need to remove the excess moisture. A block of extra-firm tofu is slightly more wet than a block of super firm. Some plates and a heavy object (and a few layers of paper towels or tea towels) or a tofu press can help you with that! There are types of tofu out there that don't use soy! The most commonly available type is chickpea based, often made with chickpea flour. It is also known as Burmese tofu. There are also ones made out of split peas and even fava beans!
- Note 2: If you don't want to use any type of tofu, here are some ideas for fillings for your vegan torta: Vegan Carne Asada soy curls, Vegan Chorizo, oyster mushrooms, jackfruit, or store bought vegan meat alternatives. Or use refried black beans to make an amazing black bean torta.
- Note 3: We used the Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base and hot water, but vegetable broth (or even vegan chicken broth) would work as well.
- Note 4: We make our own vegan mayo and tofu sour cream that both work well for this recipe (and take only 5 minutes to make!), but obviously you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Sandwich
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican