Vegan Cuban Sandwiches

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Drain and rinse the jackfruit, then optionally remove the seed pods and cut out the cores. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook it for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.
Stir in the garlic, jackfruit, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Cook everything, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
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.
Remove the skillet from heat when done.
Slice the loaf of bread open (Note 1) and cut it into 4 equal sections. (Note 2)
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.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium heat. (Note 3)
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.
Compress the sandwiches while they cook, either by weighing them down with a second (heavy) pan, or pressing them firmly with a spatula.
Cook the sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until the filings are heated and the bread is golden brown and crispy.
Serve immediately.

Notes

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.

Nutrition