Francesinha
Vegan francesinha with tofu, pleurotus mushrooms, vegan sausage and courgette, smothered in a delicious sauce
LUNCH/DINNER
Total
1H25min
Prep
25min
Cook
1H
Servings:servings
For the Sauce:
- 1 cupTomato passata
- 2 dlBeer
- 0.50 cupPlant-based milk
- 1 dlVegan cream
- 1 tspGarlic powder
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 cupHomemade vegetable stock
- 0.50 cupPort wine
- 0.50 cupWhite wine
- 1 tspMustard
- 1 tspSoy sauce
- 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
- Smoked paprika to taste
- Salt to taste
For the Filling:
- 4 slicesSandwich bread
- 8 slicesVegan cheese (e.g. Violife)
- 100 grPleurotus mushrooms
- 2Vegan sausages
- 200 grTofu
- 8 slicesCourgette
Francesinha
Vegan francesinha with tofu, pleurotus mushrooms, vegan sausage and courgette, smothered in a delicious sauce
LUNCH/DINNER
Total
1H25min
Prep
25min
Cook
1H
Servings:servings
INGREDIENTS
For the Sauce:
- 1 cupTomato passata
- 2 dlBeer
- 0.50 cupPlant-based milk
- 1 dlVegan cream
- 1 tspGarlic powder
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 cupHomemade vegetable stock
- 0.50 cupPort wine
- 0.50 cupWhite wine
- 1 tspMustard
- 1 tspSoy sauce
- 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
- Smoked paprika to taste
- Salt to taste
For the Filling:
- 4 slicesSandwich bread
- 8 slicesVegan cheese (e.g. Violife)
- 100 grPleurotus mushrooms
- 2Vegan sausages
- 200 grTofu
- 8 slicesCourgette
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Sauce:
- 1Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce for at least 1 hour (longer is better, but reduce the time if needed).
For the Francesinha:
- 1Slice the tofu horizontally into two halves. Marinate in soy sauce, garlic powder, sriracha and lemon juice.
- 2Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until very hot.
- 3Grill the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- 4Grill the courgette slices, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- 5Slice each sausage in half crosswise, then halve each piece again. Grill until browned. Set aside.
- 6Grill the tofu. Set aside.
- 7Toast the bread. Set aside.
- 8In a deep plate, assemble the francesinha in your preferred order. Suggestion: 1 slice of bread, 4 courgette slices, 1 portion of tofu, 4 sausage pieces, half the pleurotus mushrooms, 1 slice of bread. Top with 4 slices of vegan cheese.
- 9Ladle 3 generous spoonfuls of sauce over the top.
- 10Microwave for 1 minute so the cheese melts completely.
- 11I usually serve with air fryer chips. Ready to eat!
NOTES
- The longer you let the sauce reduce, the more flavourful it becomes.
- The sauce in this recipe was inspired by the omelete sem ovos blog.
- The rest of the recipe is our own — feel free to personalise it with your favourite ingredients.