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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    BBQ Tempeh Tortilla Pie

    Published: Feb 8, 2018 · Modified: Oct 27, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    BBQ tempeh tortilla pie is a hearty and delicious vegetarian meal made all in one skillet! This quick recipe makes a great weeknight dinner. It's perfect for Meatless Monday - or any day.

    A wedge of tortilla pie being lifted out of a round cast iron pan.

    This recipe is a few years old by now, but I'm reminded of how clutch it is every time I make it. Tortilla pies are a fairly frequent occurrence in my house, but I tend to think of chicken or beef as my go-to.

    However this BBQ tempeh tortilla pie is vegetarian and HEARTY. Hearty in all caps because it's healthy and so filling. I guarantee you can serve this to typical meat-eaters and they wouldn't even bat an eye.

    Well, they might if you tell them it's packed with tempeh (temp-who?) and kale beforehand, but try and hold onto that tidbit of information until they've cleaned their plate.

    An overhead picture of crumbled seasoned tempeh in a pan with a wooden spoon.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Are you a tempeh fan? Tofu seems to be the more popular soy-based protein, but as I've mentioned before, someone in my house isn't a huge fan of its texture.

    Tempeh however? Totally different. It's not spongy and when grated (my favorite way to prepare it, like in these tempeh tacos) it blends easily into whatever it is you're making. It's definitely a great ground meat substitute in recipes like this.

    Besides tempeh, tortillas are another base ingredient in this recipe. Either flour or corn tortillas will work, with an 8" or 10" diameter preferable. Whatever will fit in your pan or baking dish! I'm partial to using whole wheat flour tortillas to boost the nutrition here.

    The filling is comprised of a mixture of sauteed kale, grated tempeh, smoky spices, onion, garlic, and cheese. The BBQ sauce (use your favorite kind) holds everything together very well and adds a hearty layer between the tortillas.

    There's lots of wiggle room here. Would you rather use spinach than the kale? Go for it! Are you looking to use up some extra potato wedges you've got laying around? Chop them up and throw them in. I'll be cheering you on: this dish is SO versatile.

    The tempeh pie halfway through being assembled in a round cast iron pan.

    Step-by-Step instructions

    Start by cooking the kale on the stovetop, then setting the kale aside to reuse the skillet to saute the rest of the filling, starting with diced onion, then adding the minced garlic, crumbled tempeh, BBQ sauce, and spices.

    Pour out the filling into the bowl or plate with the kale, then wipe out the skillet once more if it's oven-safe. We'll be using it to assemble and bake the BBQ tempeh tortilla pie. If it's not oven-safe, spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray and use that instead.

    Tortilla pie assembly is one of those things that might be harder to put into words than it is just doing it. No matter your baking vessel, start by placing a tortilla in the bottom, then spreading one-third of the filling over top.

    When adding the mixture on top of the tortillas, try and spread it evenly from the center to the edges. You may wish to spread it a little bit taller around the edges to prevent the tortilla pie from having a taller center and sloped ends.

    Drizzle BBQ sauce over the filling, then evenly scatter some of the shredded cheese. Place another tortilla on top and repeat the process another two times, ending by spreading BBQ sauce and sprinkling cheese on the top tortilla.

    One of my favorite parts of a tortilla pie is how it comes together in the oven. Bake the tortilla pie at 350°F for 15 minutes or so, or until it's heated throughout and the cheese is melted. The tortillas soften beautifully and are easily sliced into wedges to serve. It's lasagna-esque in presentation, but I wouldn't dare call this lasagna. That just sounds so wrong to my Italian ears.

    A wedge of tortilla pie on a plate with a fork with the pan in the background.

    Related Recipes

    There are currently three tortilla pie recipes on the site (buffalo chicken tortilla pie, cheesy salsa verde chicken tortilla pie, and five-ingredient BBQ beef tortilla pie), but I can't get enough of them. For one, they're super simple - just layer filling (beef, chicken, turkey, tempeh...) between tortillas, top with sauce and cheese, and bake until cheese is bubbly.

    Truthfully you don't even have to closely follow a recipe. There are so many flavor possibilities, right? It's a great meal idea to have in your back pocket for those days when you open the fridge and nothing jumps out at you.

    And as for the name...I'm still not 100% sold on "tortilla pie" but I just don't know what else works better. Tortilla stacks? Tortilla casserole? Whatever you decide to call it, it's a healthy, hearty, and relatively quick dinner recipe that you'll want to add to your rotation. 

    Recipe Notes

    • I've used one-half teaspoon of chipotle chili powder instead of the regular chili powder called for in the recipe card below and really enjoyed it. It gives it an extra zip!
    • You may notice I said that this is a one-skillet recipe and I have it pictured step-by-step in two different pans. I absent-mindedly grabbed a second pan when making it for these photos (more dishes to wash - boo!), but it can easily be done in just one, which is as it's written in the recipe below.
    A wedge of tortilla pie being lifted out of a round cast iron pan

    BBQ Tempeh Tortilla Pie

    BBQ Tempeh Tortilla Pie is a hearty and delicious vegetarian meal made all in one skillet! This quick recipe makes a great weeknight dinner. It’s perfect for Meatless Monday – or any day.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 496kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
    • 4 cups kale leaves packed
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 onion diced
    • 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
    • 1 8-oz pkg tempeh grated
    • 1 cup BBQ sauce divided
    • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • 4 tortillas your preferred variety
    • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)
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    Instructions

    • Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add kale and water, and stir. Cover and cook until kale leaves are wilted, stirring occasionally. Once wilted, remove the kale from skillet to a large bowl.
    • Preheat oven to 350°F. In the now-empty pan, add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion. Cook for a 2-3 minutes over medium heat, or until onions become slightly golden. Then add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
    • Add grated tempeh, ½ cup of the BBQ sauce, liquid smoke, coriander, and chili powder to the pan with the onion and garlic. Stir to combine ingredients, and let tempeh mixture cook for 5 minutes. Turn out tempeh mixture into the bowl with the kale and wipe skillet clean (it doesn't have to be perfect). Stir together the kale and tempeh mixture evenly.
    • Add one tortilla to the bottom of now-empty skillet. Spread one-third of the tempeh/kale mixture evenly over the tortilla. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce over top of tempeh, and sprinkle with ¼ cup cheese.
    • Continue the process: Second tortilla, next one-third of tempeh/kale mixture, 1-2 tablespoon of BBQ sauce, ¼ cup cheese. Third tortilla, remaining one-third of tempeh mixture, 1-2 tablespoon of BBQ sauce, ¼ cup cheese. End with adding the fourth tortilla, another 1-2 tablespoon of BBQ sauce, and ¼ cup cheese.
    • Place BBQ tempeh tortilla pie in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and gooey and the tortilla pie is heated throughout. Cut into four wedges and serve while warm.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 17.5g | Calcium: 500mg | Iron: 3.8mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
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    Comments

    1. Kloe's Kitchen says

      August 08, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      This looks amazing! I am all about kale. Add some barbecue and tortilla and call it a pie? Then I am totally there 100%! I am so excited about this, Alyssa! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful recipes! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 2:56 pm

      Haha Helen! That spicy chorizo trick sounds super effective actually - I'll have to keep it in mind! I love grating/crumbling tempeh and adding a bunch of spices as it's sauteeing. It really becomes a food chameleon and would blend into a lot of dishes.

      Reply
    3. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:21 am

      Thanks Francesca! 🙂

      Reply
    4. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:17 am

      Thanks Jess! Tortilla pies are a staple around here - so easy to make and you can just about throw anything in!

      Reply
    5. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:16 am

      Thanks Sarah! This is a great first-time tempeh recipe with all of the flavors going on here. And aren't tortilla pie recipes great? I love all the flexibility that comes with them. 🙂

      Reply
    6. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:15 am

      Thanks Gayle! I hadn't heard of tempeh until a few years ago, but haven't started cooking with it regularly until recently. This is one of my favorite recipes with it (I love kale and BBQ sauce, too!)

      Reply
    7. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Haha sure thing! Thanks Kathi! This would be a great dish to make if both vegetarian and meat-loving palates were at the table (sans bacon, of course)!

      Reply
    8. Alyssa says

      August 08, 2014 at 9:00 am

      Haha I remember being pretty leery of tempeh the first time I tried it. There are so many flavors going on in this dish though that you'll barely even taste it - it blends in perfectly!

      Reply
    9. Kelly says

      August 05, 2014 at 7:10 am

      Haha, this is my kind of hero pie, it looks fantastic, Alyssa! I love all the kale in here and although I've never tried tempeh before, it sounds amazing with all that flavorful bbq sauce. My husband is a meat lover too so I can't wait to try to sneak in all these extra veggies for him:)

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 08, 2014 at 9:12 am

        Thank you Kelly! You're right - the tempeh goes so well with BBQ sauce. The kale definitely sneaks in under the radar here, so I don't think you'd have much trouble getting kale-finicky taste buds to enjoy it!

        Reply
    10. Amallia @DesireToEat says

      August 05, 2014 at 4:26 am

      wow I love Tempeh, it's traditional food from Indonesia. I'm originally from Indonesia, I never eat tempeh this way, great recipe, I can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 06, 2014 at 2:29 pm

        Hi Amallia! Thank you! Grating tempeh and sauteeing it is one of my favorite ways to prepare it, though I should experiment with other ways, too! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Deb says

      August 04, 2014 at 8:32 pm

      I imagine this terrific Tortilla Pie would be great warmed the next day after the flavors have had a chance to mingle. Well, if here's any left over! A great recipe with a vegan twist!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 08, 2014 at 9:04 am

        That's exactly right, Deb! Leftover slices were perfect for a quick lunch the next day (we needed restraint for there to be any leftovers!)

        Reply
    12. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

      August 04, 2014 at 3:59 pm

      BBQ kale pie? Yes please! It's like 2 of my favourite things together. Yum!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        August 08, 2014 at 8:57 am

        Thanks Dannii! I love BBQ and kale, too!

        Reply
    13. marcie says

      August 04, 2014 at 3:52 pm

      I found your blog thru Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen and Helen @ Scrummy Lane, and I'm so glad -- this meal looks amazing! I've never had tempeh, BUT from the way you describe this dish, I can tell I'd love it. I'm a huge fan of kale.

      Reply
      • Amallia @DesireToEat says

        August 05, 2014 at 4:30 am

        Hallo Marcie, Tempeh is soy product -made from soybeans, originally from Indonesia (I'm Indonesian :-)), it's very popular there. You should try it 🙂 delicious.

        Reply

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