Super tasty Baked Tofu Ginger Vegetables is one of the most hearty and satisfying vegan, gluten-free dishes ever! It's an easy and healthy dinner for a weeknight, and impressive enough for a weekend get together.
If you’ve been reading Cooking On The Weekends for a while, you know I love to cook and eat just about everything — from light salads and chocolaty cakes, to fresh seafood and cheesy casseroles -- and everything in between!
I generally consider myself a mindful eater, and I try to feed my family super healthy meals as much as possible.
Of course, while doing so, I also serve a little dessert. Okay fine, sometimes a lot. 😉
I've been really inspired lately to make dishes that exemplify that mindful eating can be just as hearty and tasty as eating any other way. And that's exactly what this dish does.
I could probably eat all six portions of this tofu, and then lick the plate! It's that good.
The vegetable baked tofu is baked in a way that it easily absorbs all of the pungent flavors of the sauce, and it’s a vehicle to carry the delicious, delicate vegetables with each bite.
One of the reasons I love working with tofu is in fact how it can handle so many flavors! I like the texture, and you can pretty much give it the flavors you are int he mood for.
What's in this recipe?
This recipe has an Asian vibe and the mix of vegetables is incredible with the sauce and tofu. The veggies include:
- Shiitake mushrooms
- carrots,
- red bell peppers
- scallions
- bean sprouts
With the tofu as the “crust,” you can pick each slice up with your hands and eat it pizza-style!
This is exactly what my family and I did. It makes for a fun, casual dinner.
A vegan tofu pizza if you will. And I do hope you will. 😉
Whether you use a fork or your hands, you will enjoy this vegan treat and want to savor it!
And we haven't discussed how pretty the carrot ribbons are. So pretty! It's that sort of detail that takes the Baked Tofu and Ginger Vegetables from casual to elegant. From weeknight to weekend.
I hope you enjoy these Baked Tofu Ginger Vegetables as much as I do!
More delicious tofu recipes:
- Miso Garlic Tofu
- Tofu Sashimi with Basil
- Vegetarian Mint Stir Fry with Tofu Noodles
- Sesame Sriracha Honey Glazed Tofu
- Thai Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
Ginger-Garlic Baked Tofu and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra firm tofu
For the sauce
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup Mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons low sodium Tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ginger pulp, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
For the vegetables
- grapeseed oil for the pan
- 1½ cups (about 6-ounces) Shiitake mushrooms, washed and dried, thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrot peels (see recipe instruction no. 2, under "for the vegetables")
- 1 cup red bell peppers, washed and dried, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions washed and dried, finely chopped
- 1 cup bean sprouts, washed and dried
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and adjust a rack to the center.
- Dry tofu. Add a double layer of paper towels to a sheet pan or a dry cutting board. Cut the tofu into ¼ to ½ inch rectangular slices, and place them in a single layer on the paper towels as you go. Then place another double layer of paper towels on top of the slices and gently press down. Leave this for about 5 minutes, and then repeat this process. (You can do the next steps — the sauce and vegetable prep, while the tofu is draining.)
For the sauce
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together until evenly blended. Set aside.
For the vegetables
- Cook mushrooms. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with grape seed oil and place it over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Sauté, stirring often, until they’re soft and beginning to turn golden, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Prep carrots. To make the carrot peels, use a vegetable peeler. As usual, when you peel carrots, you will throw out the first layer of peels. Then, instead of grating or cutting the carrots, continue to use the vegetable peeler to peel the carrots until the entire thing is a pile of peels. (To save time you can shred/grate the carrots instead.)
- Add remaining ingredients. Now add the carrot peels, red peppers, scallions and bean sprouts to the mushrooms and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
Assemble
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and add the tofu slices to it in a single layer. Evenly drizzle the slices with about ⅔ of the sauce, and sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle the remaining sauce into the vegetables and mix. Then evenly distribute the vegetables over the tofu.
- Bake. Place the sheet pan in the preheated 400°F oven and bake until the edges of the tofu are golden, about 25 minutes.
- Serve!
Notes
Brandi Crawford
I need to experiment with tofu more. I love all of the ingredients you used!
valentina
Thanks, Brandi!
khadija
I love the ingredient list for the sauce, already sounds bomb! can't wait to try it 🙂
valentina
Thank you! Hope you love it!
swayam
We like tofu occasionally too! This looks like just the thing to do with tofu.
valentina
Thank you. Hope you love it -- the tofu becomes an explosion of flavor with the sauce. 🙂
Laura | Wandercooks
Oh this looks so gorgeous! Tofu is one of my favourite ingredients, I just love how it soaks up all that amazing flavour, and I'm always looking for new ways to cook with it. Thanks for sharing!
valentina
And thank you, for visiting my site! 🙂 Enjoy!
Helene D'Souza
I somehow never got around to learn how to prepare tofu in a tasty way. Of course ginger garlic should make this simpler. Love the idea and I need a new veg weeknight meal idea! thank you for the share
valentina
Thanks! This is a great way to make the tofu full of flavor! Hope you give it a try. 🙂
David
We both love tofu and this will be fun to try! Will (of course) report back when I do!
valentina
Thanks, David! Hope you love it! XO
Emily | Oat&Sesame
Anytime ginger and garlic are involved, I'm in! I love tofu, but never seem to get it right at home. Can't wait to try this!
valentina
I hope you try it, Emily! 🙂
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I never thought of using tofu as a pizza crust. This changes everything! You've turned pizza into health food!
valentina
Yay! Success! 🙂
Cricket Plunkett
I don't usually like tofu, but this looks like a delicious recipe!
valentina
I can almost promise, you'll like tofu this way. Try it!
linda spiker
What a beautiful recipe and meal! can't wait to try it!
valentina
Thank you, Linda!
Jasmin @ The Happiness Kitchen
What a fabulous, nutritious dish! And the sauce sounds amazing
valentina
Thank you, Jasmin. Hope you try it.
David Scott Allen
Almost 3 years to the day from your post, we finally made this - and it is fantastic! Sorry it took so long - but it has been in the back of my mind waiting for the perfect day! Mark actually made it — I am flat on my back after my second foot surgery. He went shopping the other day And came back with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, scallions, and ginger. (No bean sprouts... 😞) How amazing that he bought all the ingredients to make this dish. I told him I had a great baked tofu recipe saved — did he want to try it? And he said yes - now it will be a recipe we turn to on a regular basis! Thanks - you are the best!
valentina
You're the best. Thanks so much, David! I'm so happy both of you liked it! And even more awesome you've got a chef during your recovery. I hope you're feeling a little better each day. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Yes, getting better and itching to get back into the kitchen! Thanks for your good wishes!
Horacio
Brush toρ of the foiiⅼ with aɗditіonaⅼ virgіn olive oil.
valentina
Great tip, Horacio. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
This — or a variation — has become an almost weekly meal for us, Valentina. We just love it!
valentina
Hi David. This makes me so happy! You made my day. Thank you. 🙂 ~Valentina