Tempeh Marinara with Rice

A simple, delicious and easy plant-powered recipe filled with plant protein and vegetables for a great mid-week dinner. Crumbled tempeh in a rich marinara tomato sauce with olives served with rice and fresh herbs, this recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free and healthy.

I love using tempeh and don’t get to play around with it often enough. So, this year, I wanted to show off how amazing this natural plant-based source of protein is. Tempeh is a great source of probiotics due to the fermentation process. It is a traditional Indonesian soy product that is made by culturing soybeans into a cake form. It is firm and usually comes in blocks.

Tempeh Marinara with Rice

For this Tempeh Marinara with Rice, I have crumbled with tempeh into small pieces to resemble mince. Quickly marinade the tempeh in some balsamic vinegar and syrup while you fry off the onion and vegetables for the base of the marinara sauce. Add in some mixed herbs, dried thyme and a pinch of cayenne pepper for those classic Mediterranean flavours. Add in the tempeh with some olives and cavolo nero or kale and quickly simmer.

For being so quick and simple, this recipe has so much flavour. It will also improve with time, so it’s a great idea to make up a batch at the weekend and enjoy for dinner over the next few days. Serve this Tempeh Marinara over cooked rice or another grain like quinoa, freekeh, buckwheat or even with pasta or potatoes.

Tempeh Marinara with Rice

Tempeh Marinara with Rice

What you’ll notice is that the whole marinara marinades and cooks in the time it takes to cook brown rice (about 25 minutes), making it a mid-week winner.

I hope you’ll love this flavoursome, rich, hearty and healthy vegan recipe. It has so much flavour, texture and colour to show how amazing and satisfying vegan meals can be. Serve this any which way you like and serve it to friends and family.

If you are looking for more ways to show off vegan main meals, how about my Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash, Burst Tomato and Sweet Potato Curry or Golden Chickpea Aubergine and Peanut Curry.

Tempeh Marinara with Rice

• Servings: 2
• Time: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A simple, delicious and easy plant-powered recipe filled with plant protein and vegetables for a great mid-week dinner. Crumbled tempeh in a rich marinara tomato sauce with olives served with rice and fresh herbs, this recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free and healthy.

Ingredients

• 170g tempeh
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp syrup
• 1 white onion, small dice
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red pepper, small dice
• 1 small courgette, small dice
• ½ tsp mixed herbs
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 400g tomato passata
• 40g pitted olives, halved
• 4 leaves cavolo nero or 2 handfuls kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 150g rice
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• To serve: fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes, seeds

Directions

1. Crumble the tempeh with your hands and pour over the balsamic vinegar and syrup and leave to one side.
2. Put the rice on to cook according to packet instructions.
3. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 10 minutes before adding in the red pepper and courgette. Fry for 5 minutes and add the mixed herbs, dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes before adding in the tempeh, tomato passata, olives and cavolo nero. Stir and reduce the heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve the cooked rice with the tempeh marinara. Top with some fresh herbs, tomatoes and seeds.

Tempeh Marinara with Rice

I look forward to hearing what you think of this recipe for Tempeh Marinara with Rice. Let me know in the comments below and tag me in your creations – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With tempeh love x