What is Tempeh?
Tempeh is hands-down my favorite soy food. Not only is it a versatile ingredient, but I love its taste and texture. For those new to tempeh but familiar with tofu, I liken tempeh to blue cheese as tofu is to regular cheese. Tempeh is a cultured or fermented soy product that offers healthy nutrients to our gut. It has a higher protein content than tofu and is rich in iron and calcium. Tempeh takes on the flavors that accompany it.
How I Enjoy It
My preference is to include marinated and baked tempeh in sandwiches or salads. I also pan fry crumbled tempeh and add it to marinara sauce or use it in a faux “egg” salad with Greek yogurt, mustard, dill or basil, and pickles. This sandwich is stacked with fermented and probiotic-rich foods – Swiss cheese, kimchi, pickles, and of course, tempeh. While my sauce isn’t fancy, I like the mild flavors with the more intense kimchi. Enjoy and have a napkin handy.
P.S. This was a sandwich made for mama. I haven’t sold Kimchi to the kiddos yet – however, 2/3 kids do love baked tempeh on its own!
Try our other favorite tempeh recipe: Orange Glazed Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes

tempeh reuben with kimchi
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
Tempeh:
- 1, 8 oz. block of tempeh, sliced into 1/2” strips
- 1 T. olive oil
- 3 T. soy sauce, low-sodium
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 2 T. dijon mustard
- 3 T. maple syrup
- 1 t. garlic powder
Sauce:
- 1/2 c. ketchup
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 1/4 c. chopped pickles or pickle relish
Sandwich Components:
- 8 slices whole-grain or sourdough bread, toasted
- 1 c. Kimchi
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
- Calories: 551
- Sugar: 21.4 g
- Sodium: 819.3 mg
- Fat: 23.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.2 g
- Protein: 26.5 g
- Cholesterol: 31.6 mg