Happy Independence Day if you’re in America!
I’m afraid I didn’t quite get together a red, white, and blue dish for you today, but I’m hoping you won’t be too disappointed once you feast your eyes on these Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Caramelized Veggies! If you aren’t familiar with Jackfruit, you can read all about it here.
Young green jackfruit has become well-known in the Vegetarian/Vegan world as a great replacement for pulled-pork or chicken. It has somewhat of an artichoke look or texture at this stage, but makes for a blank canvas, taking on whatever flavor or seasonings you prefer. The texture of the young unripe jackfruit is somewhat stringy, which is why it makes for a great pulled-meat option.
Ripe jackfruit on the other hand is sweet and often used in place of mango or bananas, perhaps atop ice cream or sticky rice. Be sure you get the unripe young jackfruit for this recipe.
I shared my recipe for these Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit Nachos about a year ago and at that time had a really hard time finding the jackfruit in stores. After carting our son {9 months old at the time} all over world, or so it felt, I ended up ordering it from Amazon. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found out Trader Joe’s recently started carrying it! I grabbed 3 cans to experiment with, but in the end, used very much the same seasoning/approach as I did in these nachos. BBQ always seems fitting for such a patriotic holiday, doesn’t it?!
If you missed my last post, check out these White Whole Wheat French Baguettes, aside from being incredibly easy, they make for a lovely base to pair with the BBQ jackfruit. Let’s be real, homemade bread + smoldering BBQ flavor and seasonings + Muenster cheese + caramelized veggies = serious goodness.
Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich with Caramelized Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 recipe White Whole Wheat Baguette cut into 4 or 6 subs depending on preferred sandwich size {or bread of choice}
- 2 20- ounce cans young green jackfruit
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut oil divided
- ½ cup BBQ {I used Stubbs Honey Pecan}
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 4-6 slices Muenster cheese
Instructions
- Rinse, drain and pat jackfruit dry, then cut off the center core of each piece and discard. {the part you'll cut off is similar to the hard center of a pineapple.}
- Place dried jackfruit in a medium bowl, add coconut sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and crushed red pepper, stir until well combined. Use clean hands or two forks and pull apart some of the large pieces, similar to how you would shred cooked chicken.
- Add 1/2 tbsp coconut oil and seasoned jackfruit to pan and cook on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until jackfruit begins to brown.
- Add BBQ sauce of choice and reduce heat to medium, cook 10-15 minutes, or until jackfruit has a similar texture to cooked, shredded chicken/pork, stirring occasionally.
- While BBQ jackfruit is cooking, add remaining 1/2 tbsp coconut oil with thinly sliced onions and peppers to separate saute pan and cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally, cook until onions have browned and caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
- Once the BBQ jackfruit is ready, divide evenly among 4 or 6 sandwiches {depending on preferred sandwich size}, layer with caramelized veggies, then top with Muenster cheese and serve.
