This deli-style corned beef sandwich is made with marinated tofu slices! The spice combination turns it a beautiful pink colour and the taste is eerily similar to corned beef. You also won’t believe the surprise ingredient in this sammy!
Plant-Based Deli Meat Made with Tofu??
Deli meat is notoriously hard to re-create with plants, which is why using tofu is the ultimate hack to get a similar taste and texture to what you’ll find in your favorite deli. We’ve done a corned beef version here but you can swap out the spice mixture to make a number of different variations, here are a few others.
- Chicken-style deli meat made with poultry seasoning
- Beef style deli meat made with Better Than Bouillon
- Smoked meat style deli meat with BBQ sauce, liquid smoke and soy sauce
Tips for Veggie Deli Meat
Using a peeler to create the tofu deli slices is the trick in this recipe. But there are a few other tips that can be helpful in making sure that this recipe turns out amazing.
Take Your Time With Slicing: Don’t rush through the slicing process. Using a good vegetable peeler and pulling it along the long end of the block of tofu is what gets those authentic looking slices.
Gentle Mixing: The sliced tofu is delicate so you don’t want to agitate it too much when you add the marinade. One trick I use is to put it in a sealed container and turn it over a few times to coat it with the marinade rather than mix it. If you do mix it with a spoon, just do it gently.
Make-Ahead: While you really don’t have to marinate it for very long, if you give the marinade more time to sink in, the slices really benefit from it.
Bake and Serve Warm: I often just put this unbaked on toasted bread for a quick lunch but if you have time, baking it as I mention in the recipe is so delicious.
What to Serve with a Corned Beef Style Veggie Sandwich
This recipe is delicious and can be served with a bunch of different sides.
Coleslaw: A simple coleslaw is delicious with this sandwich. You can even top the sandwich with some coleslaw for extra crunch.
Pickles and Potato Chips: Adding a side of potato chips with a delicious crunchy pickle gives that authentic deli experience!
French Fries or Sweet Potato Fries: We make our own fries in the air fryer with fresh potatoes and they are amazing. Just soak them in cold water for a bit, dry them well, toss in a little olive oil and salt, then air fry them at 400 for 15 or so minutes or so and you’ve got delicious fries.
Mixed Green Salad: If you’re looking to keep things on the lighter side, a simple mixed green salad with some additional veggies and a lemon vinaigrette would be delicious.
What Makes this Recipe Climate-Smart
This recipe is significantly lower in greenhouse gasses than corned beef made with beef! As you can see in the graph below beef emissions per kilogram of food product is 99.48 vs. tofu at 3.16, which makes it 97% lower in greenhouse gas emissions.
Check out the chart from Our World in Data, if you want to check out other food products and their greenhouse gas emissions.
The other thing you’ll love about this recipe is how much cheaper it is vs. beef! This recipe has one block of tofu which cost me a whopping $3.99.
FAQs
What if I don’t have a vegetable peeler? Using a vegetable peeler is the thing that gives the tofu the unique look of sliced meat. If you have a box shredder you might find the long slice side works or if you have a mandolin, and can set it to the thinest setting, that could be an option too.
Can I make my own pumpkin spice? Of course! Pumpkin spice mix is just cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Check out a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addition here.
Will my family be mad if I don’t tell them it’s tofu? Great question! They might be, but you know them best!
Can I use a different type of bread? You can! We used sourdough here but you could also use rye. I can verify that another style of bread would give that same deli style experience but I’ve tried it on a toasted bagel and it was still delicious!
Other Zestyplan Recipes You Might Like
If you’re looking for more delicious recipes like this Smoky Pesto Rigatoni with Roasted Veggies, here are a few more to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment or tag @zestyplan on Instagram.
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The Best Corned Beef Style Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 package firm tofu
- 2 tsp beet powder
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp pumpkin spice
- 8 pieces sourdough bread or your favorite bread for deli meat
- yellow mustard
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, create thin strips from your tofu block. This technique gives you the deli meat texture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together beet powder, soy sauce, coriander, and pumpkin spice until smooth. The beet powder provides that distinctive reddish color that makes this look like the real thing, while the spice blend creates authentic corned beef flavors.
- Put your tofu strips in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over top. Your tofu strips are quite delicate gently stir them if you need to to cover them with the marinade. Let them sit for up to 30 minutes in the fridge to allow the marinade to fully penetrate, or you can use them right away.
- While you can serve it cold and it's quite delicious, I like to spread it on a baking sheet and put it in a 350°F for 15-20 minutes. To serve, pile high on toasted sourdough with a generous smear of yellow mustard.
