Spinach Ricotta Tempeh Sandwiches

I know sandwiches aren’t typical winter food. But, just like I love eating soup in the summer, I love a sandwich any time of the year. These Spinach Ricotta Tempeh Sandwiches have 20+ grams of protein per sandwich – thanks to the tempeh and some sneaky protein in the “ricotta”. The sun-dried tomato pesto is packed with flavor. Super yummy sandwiches that are great for lunch on the go!

Step One: Make the Spinach Ricotta

If you’ve been around TSV for a while then you know my Tofu Ricotta recipe well. I love to use it in lasagna and pastas. And now…in sandwiches.

We are making it even healthier by adding in some spinach. It not only sneaks in some extra veggies, it also gives the ricotta a super pretty color.

To make it add some drained tofu, vegan parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, spinach, salt & pepper to a food processor. Blend until everything is combined. Give it a taste and then set it aside.

Step Two: Make the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Give the food processor a quick wipe and then use it again to make the pesto.

This pesto is so flavorful, with very few ingredients. You just need sun-dried tomatoes, oil (I used the oil from the tomato jar), pine nuts, garlic, basil, lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Pulse it in the food processor a few times and give it a taste. The pesto should be on the chunkier side. This will keep the sandwiches from getting overwhelmed with oil.

Step Three: Make the Tempeh

One of my favorite proteins for vegan sandwiches is tempeh bacon – it is the star in my TTLA recipe.

I buy mine pre-made, but there are recipes out there if you want to make tempeh bacon from scratch.

I like to cut the tempeh bacon in half (because they come in super long strips). Spray a skillet with oil and add the tempeh bacon. It only take a couple minutes per side to brown the tempeh.

Step Four: Assemble & Serve

Now that all of our components are ready, it is time to assemble. You can use whatever bread you like, but I went with ciabatta. I think it is perfect for a sandwich like this because it can hold up to all of the toppings.

Toast the bread (I like to do this in my air fryer). Spread some sun-dried tomato pesto on one half of the bread and spinach ricotta on the other half. Add tempeh bacon, arugula & red onion and close the sandwich.

Cut the sandwiches in half and enjoy! These are great right away, but they are delicious cold too. Makes them perfect for lunch on the go!

Tips & Tricks

This will likely make more spinach ricotta then you will need for 4 sandwiches. You can save the leftovers in the fridge for 3-5 days. Use it for pasta, pizza or more sandwiches.

The sun-dried tomato pesto is meant to be chunky. If you add too much oil it will make the sandwiches greasy.

I used ciabatta rolls from Trader Joe’s. Toasted sourdough would be my second choice.