BBQ Seitan and Caramelized Onion Sandwiches

As much fun as it is to make really fancy, involved recipes, every once in a while it’s nice to make something quick, yummy, and really easy. That’s how I was feeling last night when I made these BBQ Seitan Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions. The onions take a little while to cook, but there’s not much to them and the rest takes no time at all. The BBQ sauce you use makes a huge difference in how the sandwiches taste, so make sure you choose one that’s tasty. I really like Daddy Sam’s BBQ Sawce. It’s sweet and tangy with just the right amount of spiciness. Seitan is wheat glutton with a meaty texture that you can find in Asian markets or most health food stores. Someday I’ll make Seitan from scratch, but for now, store bought works just as well. Serve these sandwiches with Fingerling Potato and Green Bean Salad for a great sloppy summer meal!

BBQ Seitan Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4-5 people

1 Loaf good quality crusty French Bread (I like Ciabatta)
2 Medium sized Yellow Onion
3 8 oz. Packages of Seitan
Granulated Garlic
Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (about 1-1 ½ cups)
Vegetable Oil

Cut the onions in half lengthwise, peel, and then slice into ½ inch strips. In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil and then add all of the onion to the hot pan. Cook the onions for a few minutes over the hot heat, stirring occasionally, to get them going, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Lightly season the onions with salt and fresh ground pepper and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and have turned a nice caramelized color. Be sure to stir the onions often to keep them from burning and to ensure that they cook evenly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Seasoned onions just beginning to cook.

Slice the Seitan into 1/3” strips. In a hot skillet (I use the same dirty skillet I just took the onions out of) heat about 3 tablespoons of oil and them add the Seitan strips. Fry the strips, flipping often until they begin to brown and some pieces start to crisp up. Season with a few dashes of soy sauce and the granulated garlic. Pour enough BBQ sauce over the seitan to thoroughly coat it and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sauce is hot and gets a bit gooier. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Seitan strips just added to the skillet.

To assemble the sandwiches, I like to brush the inside cut parts of the bread with a bit of olive oil and grill them on a hot pan for a few minutes until it gets crispy and golden brown. Plop a pile of seitan on the bottom piece of bread, add a few spoonfuls of caramelized onions, top with the other piece of bread and get ready for a messy, yummy sandwich.

Lightly grilled Ciabatta Bread.

p.s. If you like soy cheese (which I have mixed feelings about) you can add a few sliced of ‘mozzarella’ on top of the caramelized onions and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt before adding the top slice of bread.

Close-up of the messy goodness!