If using firm tofu packed in water for this plant-based riff on Sloppy Joes, drain it well, then let sit between several layers of paper towels and weight with a few plates to get rid of as much water as possible.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
2
1
1
4
8
8
2
1
1
½
2
2
1
4
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion, chile, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add mushrooms, tofu, chili powder, and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften and are nearly dry, about 5 minutes. Add tomato purée, walnuts, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until liquid is thick, 12–15 minutes; season with salt. Serve on buns.
Leave a Review
Reviews (11)
Back to TopA sad excuse for a meal. Just tastes like sad walnuts. SKIP!
Anonymous
8/23/2022
Made this today. Since several people seemed to be looking for prep clarification, here’s what I did - chopped walnuts with food processor blade, then grated the shrooms with the coarse food processor shredding disc. For the tofu, I used a potato masher - texture was just right. I fine-chopped the onion with an Alligator food chopper - love those tiny dices. I also cheated since this was for both adults and kids. I opened a couple cans of Manwich sauce instead of doing all the sauce prep. Even the non-vegans liked it, and the walnuts really helped with the meat-like mouth feel. I served them on Hawaiian brand slider buns. They were quite good.
knitbunnie
Bay Area, Ca
4/2/2022
I made this with some adjustments, as the original sauce tasted way too ketchup sweet/one dimensional for my personal taste, and the amount of chili powder seemed high based on reviews. So less ketchup, less chili powder, added some barbeque sauce, a wee bit of liquid from a jar of kimchi too. Also I have never seen crimini mushrooms in the store (shitake, maitake, wood ear, oyster, king oyster, enoki - all sorts but never crimini or porcini) so used baby bella. We are not vegan but I don't like ground beef. This was delicious for a plant based meal.
Robin
South of the south
10/23/2021
I grated the mushrooms in my food processor and it was easy. I also cut the tofu into small cubes and this seemed to give it a good texture. We liked the texture of the dish, but the chili powder and the smoked paprika were too overpowering and we didn't really like the flavor profile as much as other sloppy joe recipes. I'm going to have to play with the flavors a little...maybe sub in a little more ketchup and chili sauce for the tomato puree, cut the chili powder and smoked paprika way down and sub in some cumin and coriander. Not sure yet.
Anonymous
College Station, TX
9/5/2021
Have made this on a few occasions now, and really quite enjoy it. I wish that the recipe was a little more exact for the steps and preparation required, but this is what I've found works. Prior to using the firm tofu, I let it sit with a weight and some paper towels covering it to get the moisture out. I do this whilst I am prepping all the other veggies. After everything else is ready, I use my hands to tear apart, and smash the tofu until it's a broken down texture (similar to ground beef), before I add it into the pan. (The first time I tried to smush it whilst in the pan, and it was too difficult with the spoon. Much easier to get a better consistency with your hands prior to going into the pan :) ) I also couldn't figure out how to grate the mushrooms without a huge mess, so I chopped them into slivers.
lexiiluther
Canada
6/2/2020
This was delicious! Definitely the kind of vegan food that I enjoy cooking. I wish there was more instruction on how to shred the mushrooms (it was slightly challenging, I ended up thinly & messily chopping the crumbled bits) and how to prepare the tofu (I just chopped it up in the pan with a wooden stirrer). But overall fantastic recipe! Will be making again.
Anonymous
Truckee, CA
8/21/2019
I could have used a little instruction on how to prepare the tofu to look like the picture. Also I halved the chili powder and it was still pretty prominent. Despite the above, it turned out very good. I couldn't get it as red as the picture, but it could have been due to the less chili powder than called for. My 6 year old also approves!
Anonymous
Ohio
5/4/2018