High-Protein Tempeh Orzo Bowl (Chipotle Dressing)

Name: Tempeh Orzo Bowl with Chipotle Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces mushrooms (or 3 ounces (85g) dried porcini mushrooms ); 8 ounces orzo ((preferably whole grain)); 8 ounces tempeh ((see notes for substitutes)); 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (or 1 ½ cups cooked); Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons paprika; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons dried marjoram (or oregano); 1 teaspoon chipotle powder; 2 cups sweet corn kernels (frozen or fresh (optional)); 1 bunch kale (tough stems removed, chopped (about 4 cups)); 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (finely chopped); 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon adobo liquid (from canned chipotle peppers); 1/4 cup tahini; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon mellow miso (or white miso); 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or to taste); 2 teaspoons vinegar ((apple cider or rice vinegar)); 1/4 cup water

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Looking for new ways to cook with tempeh? This delicious recipe with tempeh and mushrooms, two foods high in the longevity compounds, ergothioneine and spermadine, will boost your health and help reverse aging. This high-protein Tempeh Orzo Bowl with a Creamy Chipotle Dressing tastes incredible.

Tempeh Orzo Bowl with kale, corn, mushrooms, and chipotle miso dressing.

You don't even taste the tempeh and it's easy to meal prep ahead of time. It's meaty, smoky, and packed with flavor.

In addition, this tasty dish has numerous health benefits. As we age, the lining inside our arteries loses its ability to make a special molecule called nitric oxide, which helps keep our arteries wide and open. This makes it harder for our arteries to expand like they should. Interestingly, nitric oxide comes from the same amino acid as spermidine. So, when we eat foods with lots of spermidine, our bodies don't have to work as hard to make nitric oxide from scratch.

This Tempeh Orzo Bowl recipe was inspired by my Vegan Protein Bowl, Tempeh Mushroom Burgers, and 35g Protein Crunch Salad with Tempeh.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🍄‍🟫 Substitutions
📖 How to Make High-Protein Tempeh Orzo Bowl
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽️ Related Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Tempeh, chickpeas, corn, orzo, spices, kale, and mushrooms.

Tempeh
Chickpeas
Mushrooms
Corn
Kale
Orzo
Spices
Chipotle powder

For the Chipotle Miso Dressing:

Miso, tahini, chipotle in adobo, vinegar, and maple syrup in white bowls.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Tahini
Miso
Maple syrup
Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

See the recipe card for quantities.

🍄‍🟫 Substitutions

Tempeh - Substitute with one (14-ounce) block of pressed tofu, or 1 ¼ cup cooked lentils instead. Follow the recipe for tofu, but do not pulse if using lentils. Add the whole cooked lentils to the baking sheet with the pulsed chickpeas.
Mushrooms - use dried porcini or fresh mushrooms
Orzo - substitute with farro, barley, oat groats, or rice
Kale - use chopped leafy greens of choice
Dried herbs and spices - use marjoram, oregano, smoked paprika, chili powder, or seasonings you have on hand
Corn - use frozen or fresh or omit entirely
Oil - For oil-free, use lemon juice or balsamic vinegar instead of olive oil.

For more tempeh recipes, visit my Vegan Tempeh Recipes page.

📖 How to Make High-Protein Tempeh Orzo Bowl

For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.

Soaked porcini mushrooms in a white bowl.

Step 1. If using dried mushrooms, soak them according to the package directions. Drain.

Crumbled tempeh and chickpeas in a food processor.

Step 2. Pulse the tempeh and chickpeas until crumbles form.

Tempeh and chickpea crumbles on a baking sheet with spices.

Step 3. Transfer the crumbles to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and add the paprika, garlic powder, marjoram, chipotle powder, and salt to taste. Toss to coat evenly.

Baked tempeh and chickpea crumbles on a white baking sheet.

Step 4. Bake the tempeh chickpea mixture for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chopped porcini mushrooms tossed with spices on a white baking sheet.

Step 3. Transfer the mushrooms to the unwashed food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Transfer the chopped mushrooms to a large nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and add salt to taste. Toss to coat. Bake with the corn and tempeh mixture.

Sweet corn kernels tossed with spices on a baking sheet.

Step 4. Transfer the corn to a large nonstick baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of oil, a dash of paprika, chipotle powder, and salt to taste. Bake with the mushrooms and tempeh mixture.

Tempeh Orzo Bowl with crispy tempeh and chickpea crumbles, corn, kale, and a side of miso chipotle dressing.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Mince the chipotle peppers. Then mix the chopped peppers, adobo liquid, tahini, miso, maple syrup, vinegar, and water until smooth.
Combine the crispy tempeh chickpea mixture, mushrooms, corn, kale, and the desired amount of orzo in a large bowl. Add the dressing to taste.

✔️ Expert Tips

Optional: I simmered the tempeh for 7 minutes beforehand to remove the bitterness. I placed the kale above the hot water of the simmering tempeh for a few minutes to slightly tenderize it before chopping. Steaming is considered to be the best home cooking technique to prepare kale.
To substitute tempeh - Substitute with one (14-ounce) block of pressed tofu, or 1 ¼ cup cooked lentils instead. Follow the recipe for tofu, but do not pulse if using lentils. Add the whole cooked lentils to the baking sheet with the pulsed chickpeas.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover Tempeh Orzo Bowl and Creamy Chipotle Dressing in separate containers for up to 5 days.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

How can I make this Tempeh Orzo Bowl ahead of time?

Pulse the tempeh with chickpeas, and mushrooms. Chop the kale., and prepare the dressing. Refrigerate the tempeh chickpea mixture, chopped mushrooms, kale, and dressing in separate air-tight containers.
Season and bake the tempeh chickpea mixture, mushrooms, and corn, and cook the pasta for serving.
Or you can cook everything and store the dressing and finished dish in two separate airtight containers for up to 5 days. Heat on the stovetop or microwave and add the dressing for serving.

What are the health benefits of mushrooms?

Plain white mushrooms have been shown to inhibit cancer growth in cells. Mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, driven mainly by lower breast cancer rates, and mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of dying prematurely from all causes put together. Eating just a few mushrooms a day can improve immune function. Porcini mushrooms have the most ergothioneine but even one cup of white button mushrooms can double the levels of ergothioneine in the blood.

What is ergothioneine?

Low blood levels of ergothioneine are correlated with an increased risk of frailty, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. Fungi filaments pass ergothioneine along to the roots of crops, leaving mushrooms and tempeh—a fungi-fermented soybean cake—as the only concentrated dietary sources. Blood ergothioneine levels appear to decline after about age 60, and this decline is tied to both cognitive decline and frailty, making mushroom and tempeh intake even more beneficial as we age.