Tempeh Broccoli Skillet with Cheesy Ale Sauce

White bowl filled with broccoli, potatoes and tempeh

Comfort food. It means something different to all of us. Macaroni and cheese is a favorite for many, or a freshly baked piece of homemade bread…still moist and steaming because you couldn’t wait to slice it…schmeared with butter. Maybe a perfectly warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie. Or three. Those are all undoubtedly emotionally soothing, but for me, cheese and potatoes fall somewhere near the top of my list, too. Creamy and salty and toothsome, any incarnation of cheese and potatoes really hits the sentimental spot. However, when eaten alone they’re lacking nutritionally somewhat as a complete meal, so today’s recipe brings tempeh and broccoli to the party to make a full-on main dish.

Top down view of white bowl filled with broccoli, tempeh and potatoes

Let’s talk nutrition for a moment. Together, the tempeh and cheese boost the protein level to 25 grams per serving, which is quite respectable. Also, vegetarians (and non-vegetarians) will be pleased to know that 1 serving provides 30% of the Daily Value for calcium and 15% for iron. I think that officially qualifies as a nutrient-dense dinner, and we haven’t even added side dishes yet! And, if you’re concerned about potatoes and their carbohydrate content, you might be interested in some recent research suggesting that cooking, cooling, and reheating starchy foods improves our response to them. So, this would be a wonderful dish to enjoy as leftovers the next day.

Top down view of two white bowls full of veggies and a pitcher of cheese sauce

You might think that spending 45 minutes on dinner is quite a commitment…and you wouldn’t be wrong. I found it just seems to take that long to get the ingredients chopped and prepped and then to get crispy brown edges on the potatoes and tempeh which adds to the whole comfort food vibe. Luckily, as you near the end of preparing this comforting concoction, I think you’ll be surprised at how very quickly the cheesy ale sauce comes together.

Close up side view of white bowl filled with veggies and tempeh

Any recipe is just a starting point or an idea for a dish you’d like to eat. Feel free to simplify here and modify there to make it your own. If your family doesn’t like broccoli, you can sub another favorite vegetable. And I feel confident it’s a pretty failsafe recipe. You could use tofu instead of tempeh and red potatoes instead of russets if that’s what you have on hand. I’d love to hear how the dish ends up looking and tasting in your kitchen.

Two white bowls filled with broccoli, tempeh and potatoes

Comfort food definitely has a place in any diet, but it doesn’t have to be an excuse to completely throw caution to the wind, break all the rules, and forget about nutrition altogether (although that’s nice sometimes too). How cool if you could have both at the same time! I think you can: whole foods, prepared thoughtfully and scrumptiously, that provide emotional satisfaction and a little nourishment. I would totally sign up for that.

 

Have you found a way to boost the nutrition profile of a favorite comfort food, so that it’s a sorta healthful choice?

 

This post was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and slightly revised recipe instructions in January 2023.

 

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Tempeh Broccoli Skillet with Cheesy Ale Sauce

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Comfort food in a skillet. This colorful, flavorful recipe makes for a hearty vegetarian main dish or a cheesy vegetable side dish.

  • Author: Veg Girl RD
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Tempeh Broccoli Skillet

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 8 oz. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 10 ounces broccoli florets

Cheesy Ale Sauce

  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 6 fluid ounces beer (I used Boundary Bay Scotch Ale)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper

Instructions

Tempeh Broccoli Skillet

  1. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and stir to coat potatoes with oil and seasonings.
  2. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring several times.
  3. Push potatoes to the sides of the pan, leaving an empty spot in the center. Add the sesame oil to this spot. Wait a few seconds for it to get hot, and add tempeh on top of the sesame oil. Let it brown for a few minutes, then stir tempeh and potatoes together.
  4. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes and tempeh are nicely browned on all sides.
  5. Cover skillet and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Remove potatoes and tempeh from skillet and set aside.
  6. Return skillet to medium heat, add broccoli and 1/3 cup water. Cover and let broccoli steam for 3 to 5 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from heat and stir in potatoes and tempeh.

Cheesy Ale Sauce

  1. Toss shredded cheese with flour and mustard.
  2. Bring beer to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes or until volume is slightly reduced.
  3. Add cheese mixture and salt, and whisk until cheese is melted. Return to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened, whisking constantly.
  4. Serve tempeh, potato, and broccoli mixture topped with cheesy ale sauce.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 cups
  • Calories: 550
  • Sugar: 4 g
  • Sodium: 440 mg
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Saturated Fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 68 g
  • Fiber: 11 g
  • Protein: 25 g
  • Cholesterol: 30 mg

Keywords: tempeh, broccoli skillet, tempeh skillet

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Share a photo and tag @veggirlRD!

 

Kristine Duncan

Kristine Duncan, Registered Dietitian

I’m a Registered Dietitian, the author of Veg Girl RD, and a vegetarian who loves to eat. I’m a nutrition nerd who teaches at the University of Washington and Skagit Valley College. I also write about nutrition professionally for magazines and books. If you want to know more, check out my About page.

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