Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick and Easy - This decadent toastie delivers big flavours with very little kitchen sweat in no time.
  
  

• Perfectly Customizable - Add your favorite vegan cheese and condiments to make it just the way Mama would. 
  
  

• An Epitome Of Deliciousness - Gooey cheese, smoky bacon, tangy pickles, and juicy pork-ish, hugged by crispy golden sourdough. Do I need to say more?

Key Ingredients for Meaty Plant-Based Grilled Cheese Sandwich  

• Meaty Meat Pork-ish brings juiciness and texture.
  
  

• La Vie’s Smoked Bacon adds, of course, smokiness that dances a culinary tango with fatty Meaty Meat and punchy quickles.
  
  

• Sourdough Bread holds the precious vegan meats like mama holds her baby.
  
  

• Quick-pickled Red Onions cut through the richness and meatiness of plant-based pork and smoked bacon.
  
  

• Plant-based Cheese provides a creamy, gooey texture that strokes the soul and comforts your inner child.
  
  

• Plant-based Butter ensures the pieces of bread turn into perfectly golden and crispy slices of carbohydrates. 

Equipment You’ll Need 

• Cutting board  

• Sharp knife 

• A mandoline for thinly slicing the onion

• Small saucepan for heating pickling liquid 

• Non-stick pan with a lid for cooking Meaty Meat and plant-based bacon, and toasting the sandwich

• Tongs for handling vegan meat and bacon 

• Spatula for turning the toastie 

How To Prepare a Meaty Plant-Based Grilled Cheese Sandwich 

1. Prepare the pickles  

Thinly slice a red onion using a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and heat them up. Pour over the onions and let them quickle (quick pickle) while you prepare the rest. 

2. Cook the Vegan Meats 

Season the Meaty Meat Pork-ish with salt and pepper on both sides. Add olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat. Add Meaty Meat and cook for 8-9 minutes, until nicely browned on all sides. A few minutes before the Meaty Meat is done cooking, add La Vie’s Smoked Bacon and cook until it starts to brown and crisp up slightly. Remove both from the pan. Slice Meaty Meat into thin-ish slices. 

3. Assemble 

Assemble the sandwiches by layering vegan cheese (we’re using homemade cashew mozzarella), Meaty Meat, plant-based bacon, and quick-pickled onion. Top with more vegan cheese and another piece of bread. Close up the sandwich and spread vegan butter on both sides.

4. It’s toastie time 

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the sandwich to the pan, cover with a lid, and cook for a few minutes, until the bottom piece of bread turns golden brown. Open the pan and flip to brown the other side as well. Once the cheese is gooey and both sides are golden, remove the toastie from the pan. 

5. Enjoy   

Slice the toastie in half and enjoy. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce for extra indulgence. 

Tips & Tricks

• Make It Your Own. Don’t feel like eating pickled onions? Swap them for your freshly fermented homemade kimchi for a spicy, gut-friendly flavour bomb.
  
  

• Let It Steam. Cover the pan with a lid to steam the sandwich slightly and ensure the cheese melts and all the components get warmed through.   

FAQ

What vegan cheese should I use?  

I like to use homemade cashew mozzarella based on Schoolnight Vegan’s recipe (the OG recipe you can find in the notes), but any vegan cheese with a melting ability should work! 

I don’t like pickled onions. What should I swap them with?

Honestly, the condiment world is your oyster. Swap quick-pickled onions with kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, mustard, or a funky chutney.  

Can I prepare this in advance?

Quick-pickled onions can be prepared ahead of time, but this toastie is best prepared and served fresh, right off the pan, to ensure hot vegan meats and melty cheese. 

Can I use a different whole-cut?

Of course. Swap Meaty Meat Pork-ish for Thick-Cut Filet, Whole-Cut Loin, or Meaty Meat Lamb-ish.

What type of bread should I use?

Sourdough bread works best because it’s sturdy enough to carry all the components and crisps up perfectly. Sandwich bread, brioche, or milk bread works as well.