Go Back

Vegan Chopped Cheese

Thee Burger Dude
4.86 from 14 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4-6 Hoagie Rolls
  • 2 lbs. Plant Based Meat Impossible, Beyond etc or 2 lbs. Tofu Ground Beef (recipe below)
  • 2-3 tomatoes sliced
  • Shredded lettuce about 4-6 cups
  • 1 large onion sliced, about 4 cups
  • 8 - 12 slices vegan American cheese
  • Ketchup
  • Vegan Mayo
  • Sazon and or Adobo use store bought or recipes below for both
  • Salt & pepper

Tofu Ground Beef

  • 2 packages 16 oz each SUPER FIRM (or Extra Firm) tofu

MARINADE

  • 2 tsp Beefless Broth (or Veggie Broth Concentrate)
  • 2 Tbsp Steak Sauce
  • 1 tsp Liquid Smoke
  • 2 tsp Browning Sauce (optional for color)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste (optional for more umami)
  • 1 - 2 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses (optional for Color and Flavor!)

Adobo Seasoning

  • 3 Tbsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp tumeric
  • 1 tsp cumin

Sazon Seasoning

Instructions
 

Adobo & Sazon

  • Simply combine all the ingredients (respectively) in a spice grinder and grind into a fine dust. Your seasonings are ready to use! Fair warning, they are quite salty and powerful, so keep that in mind. I also like them on just about anything savory, so you can use it on anything really.

Tofu Ground Beef Method

  • Remove tofu from packaging and pat dry. Super Firm doesn't need to be pressed. I would recommend pressing Extra Firm for at least 30 minutes. Crumble into a bowl.
  • Make the marinade by combining everything in a bowl. Pour over the crumbled tofu. With clean hands or a spatula, toss the crumbles and coat thoroughly in the marinade.
  • Line a baking sheet (you might need 2 sheets) with parchment paper / cooking spray and spread out the tofu pieces in a single layer. Bake at 350 F / 175 C for 30-40 minutes, or until the tofu is slightly dried out and chewy. Extra Firm tofu may need an extra 10 minutes. I would suggest checking it every 10-15 minutes if you're unsure so you don't dry it out too much.
  • Transfer the tofu to a 12 inch skillet, and add 2 cups of water and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then simmer until the liquid is mostly reduced. About 10 minutes or so. This will keep the tofu chewy, but will add some much needed juiciness. Taste and adjust for seasoning, keeping in mind we'll be salting later with the Sazon and Adobo.
  • The Meat is ready to be cooked! Simply add it to a griddle over medium heat with as much onions as you'd like. Make sure not to crowd the griddle. Make them in batches if you need to. Season to taste with Adobo and or Sazon.
  • Once onions are softened, shape the mixture into a rectangle for each hoagie roll. Add 2-3 slices of vegan American Cheese on top. Then squirt a little water on the griddle and cover to steam and melt the cheese.
  • Once melted, split open a hoagie roll. Hollow out the middle a little. Toast the roll if you wish and then give it a good healthy squirt of both ketchup and vegan mayo. Then fill it up with as much cheesy meat as you'd like, followed by the lettuce and tomato. Wrap up that sandwich and dig in!

Plant-Based Meat Method

  • Form your plant based meat into 4 oz patties and add to a hot griddle. Each sandwich should have 8 oz. worth of meat, or use less if you like as well. Add in a few handfuls of onions for each sandwich (about 1 cup worth) and season to taste with the adobo and or sazon seasoning.
  • After 2-3 minutes, flip your patties, and grill for another 3 minutes or so.
  • Chop up your patty as fine as you like and combine the meat and onions together. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the onions have softened up. Chop and stir every so often, but let the mean get nice and browned.
  • Once browned, shape your meat and onions into rectangular shape to match your roll. Add 2 - 3 slices of vegan American cheese on top. Then add a little water to the pan and cover to steam and melt the cheese.
  • Once melted, split open a hoagie roll. Hollow out the middle a little. Toast the roll if you wish and then give it a good healthy squirt of both ketchup and vegan mayo. Then fill it up with as much cheesy meat as you'd like, followed by the lettuce and tomato. Wrap up that sandwich and dig in!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!