Slow cooker BBQ tempeh
Crumbled tempeh slowly soaks up a tangy, smoky barbecue sauce until it falls into tender shreds, spooned over rice with a crunchy vinegar slaw.
- 260 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.90 a serving
- 670 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 packages tempeh, crumbled into bite-size pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice
- 4 cups coleslaw mix
From your pantry
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 670 calories, 30 g protein, 104 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.90 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No coleslaw mix? Green cabbage or red cabbage works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the tempeh, onion, garlic, BBQ sauce, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon vinegar and the smoked paprika in the slow cooker and stir.
Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours or High for 2 hours, until the onion is soft and the sauce is thick and dark.
Timer: 240 min
Dolly’s tip: Tempeh can’t dry out the way meat does. An extra hour on Warm only makes it more flavorful.About 30 minutes before it’s done, the rice and bring it in a with 2¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
the coleslaw mix in a bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, the sugar, oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Let it sit while the rice finishes.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Ten minutes in the dressing softens the cabbage just enough and keeps the crunch.Stir the tempeh, mashing some of the pieces against the side with a spoon so it looks shredded.
Spoon the BBQ tempeh over the rice and pile the slaw on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
