Bursting with flavor, these vegan Cuban sandwiches are made with smoky seasoned jackfruit and tofu, dairy-free Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, stuffed into crusty bread and grilled to crispy perfection.
- 2 (20 ounce or 567 gram) cans young green jackfruit in brine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 8 tablespoons yellow mustard, or as needed
- 8 ounces smoked tofu, sliced as thin as you can get it
- 4 slices vegan Swiss cheese
- 12 dill pickle slices, or as needed
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, or as needed
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Drain and rinse the jackfruit, then optionally remove the seed pods and cut out the cores. Set aside.
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Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
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Add the onion and cook it for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.
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Stir in the garlic, jackfruit, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook everything, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
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Stir in the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
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Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to cook for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the jackfruit is tender. Use a fork or two to pull the pieces of jackfruit apart and create a stringy texture while it cooks.
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Remove the skillet from heat when done.
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Slice the loaf of bread open (Note 1) and cut it into 4 equal sections. (Note 2)
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Slather the insides of your bread with mustard, then stuff each portion by layering a few pieces of smoked tofu, jackfruit, cheese, and pickle slices.
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Heat a medium nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium heat. (Note 3)
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Butter the top and bottom of each sandwich, and when the pan is hot, add a few sandwiches to it, cooking as many as you can at a time without crowding the pan.
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Compress the sandwiches while they cook, either by weighing them down with a second (heavy) pan, or pressing them firmly with a spatula.
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Cook the sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until the filings are heated and the bread is golden brown and crispy.
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Serve immediately.
- If your bread is very thick you can scoop out some of the insides to make room for fillings.
- Each of your sections should be appropriate for a medium to large sized sandwich. If your loaf is very large, cut smaller sections and save the leftovers for another use.
- Feel free to cook your sandwiches in a panini maker instead if you have one.