Salsa verde is a classic herby Italian condiment from the Piedmont region that’s often paired with grilled meats or veggies. While there seem to be as many versions as there are cooks, anchovies, hard boiled eggs, and other non-vegan ingredients can sometimes be a part of the sauce. To keep this a totally vegan recipe, I used red miso and reduced sodium soy sauce to bring a bit of the umami flavor to the Italian salsa verde, and then, drizzled it over seasoned grilled seitan. If you like seitan, grilling and fresh herbs, this is for you!
This recipe makes ~4 servings.
A few things…
- ・Can you grill seitan? Sure! The keys are to cover a grill-proof pan in non-stick aluminum foil and coat the seitan in oil. The non-stick foil keeps the seitan from sticking to the grill, and makes it much easier to flip. And the oil keeps the seitan from drying out. No one wants to chow down on a hockey puck.
- ・For the best flavor, follow this seitan recipe. When it’s done cooking, leave the seitan in chunks, cover in the simmering liquid and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to make this grilled seitan recipe, slice half of it up and use it. Freeze any leftover seitan for future use.
- ・If you don’t have time to make your seitan from scratch, then you can use store bought. You’ll need enough for 4 servings. It may not be in a shape that’s pretty to look at, but if that doesn’t matter to you, it’s all good. You may also need to adjust the seasonings.
- ・No fresh rosemary? Sub in ½ tsp dried rosemary.
- ・Every grill is different, so cook time on the seitan may vary. Keep an eye on it, and be prepared that it may take less or more time to get it just right.
- ・No grill? Pan fry the seasoned seitan in a skillet until lightly browned on all sides. Arrange on a plate. Top with the sauce.
Please enjoy! And check out other UVK recipes, like Slow Cooker Vegan Chile Verde, Watermelon Salsa, Black Bean Avocado Salsa, Vegan Slow Cooker Seitan and Green Pea Stew and more.
Grilled Seitan with Italian Salsa Verde
Sauce:
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced in half
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp capers
½ tsp red miso
1 cup flat leaf parsley, packed
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (I added ¼ tsp)
Seitan:
½ batch of seitan, soaked in simmering liquid overnight and sliced (see notes above)
Olive oil, to drizzle
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (OR ½ tsp dried rosemary)
½ tsp smoked paprika
Ground black pepper, to taste (but don’t be shy!)
1. First, you’ll make the vegan Italian salsa verde for the grilled seitan. Add ¼ cup olive oil and the sliced garlic to to a small skillet. Heat the oil, and stir until the garlic are lightly toasted. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
2. In a blender, add the red wine vinegar, reduced sodium soy sauce, capers, red miso, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, and the olive oil and garlic. Pulse in the blender until the sauce is somewhat smooth, but still has recognizable bits. If it’s too thick, add more oil or a bit of water. Taste, and adjust the seasonings, if needed (salt? soy sauce?).
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the sliced seitan. Drizzle it with olive oil. Mix until well coated. Then, sprinkle with the garlic, rosemary, smoked paprika and a generous amount of ground black pepper. Stir again until the seitan is evenly coated.
4. Line a large grill-proof sheet pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Drizzle with some olive oil. Place the seitan slices in an even layer over the foil.
5. Place the sheet pan with the seitan on a grill that’s heated to 375º F. Grill for ~3-4 minutes or until lightly browned on one side. Flip. Grill for another ~3-4 minutes or until it looks good to you and is fully cooked through. Remove.
6. Arrange the grilled seitan slices on a plate and then, drizzle with the vegan Italian salsa verde. Serve immediately with any remaining sauce on the side.