A perfect hearty dish to share with all your loved ones. Vegan “Marry Me” tofu is full of flavor and will fill any empty stomach with joy and warmth.
Every time I come across a dish like “marry me chicken”, I can’t help but drool a bit. The beautiful creamy and filling sauce and tender chicken make my taste buds longingly covet the days when I could consume dairy. This vegan “marry me” tofu has really scratched that itch of mine and it will yours too!
One of the best things about this dish is that it’s easily customizable. One of my favorite changes to it is swapping out the tofu for a white bean or chickpeas. Beans and chickpeas can be a little more approachable for people who are new to vegan cooking or eating. My nephews don’t care for tofu’s texture but they will eat beans for days! Kale can be used in place of the spinach or if you’re looking for a more sauce-based “child friendly” version you can skip the leafy greens altogether.
“Marry me” tofu is so filling on its own but tastes so good over a bed of rice, or noodles. Also try it with my Vegan French bread recipe and sop up all the savory sauce with a soft slice. Easy French Bread – auntieemseasyeats.com
For a keto and gluten free vegan version, replace the flour and cornstarch with almond or coconut flour and stick with the tofu.
Can this be frozen? I’m a firm believer that there are very few foods in this world that “Can’t be frozen.” “Marry me” tofu can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to always label your foods with a name and date so you never loose track of them. Freezing tofu actually helps make it firmer thus the texture more appealing to the average person. So if you have a block of tofu approaching its expiration, drain it and place it in a sealed container, and pop it in the freezer until you need it.
Vegan “Marry Me” Tofu
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 14oz block extra firm tofu
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Marry Me Sauce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley or 1 handful chopped fresh
- 1 tbsp dried basil or 1 handful chopped fresh
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chopped frozen or sautéed spinach optional
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup vegan cream or full fat unsweetened coconut cream
Instructions
- In a bowl add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and smoked paprika and stir well.
- Break up the tofu into bite size pieces with your hands and toss in the flour mixture stirring gently to coat without breaking up the tofu further.
- Add olive oil into a hot pan and stir fry the tofu until flour begins to crust about 6-7 minutes over medium heat. stir gently so it doesn't stick too much to the pan. Non-stick pan is optimal for this. once cooked set aside.
- In the same pan add in the 2 tbsp olive oil and diced onion, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onion starts to become slightly translucent.
- Add in the remaining seasonings and herbs; basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, and black pepper,
- Next pour in the vegetable broth and stir to get everything combined and any flour remnants from the tofu combined in.
- Sprinkle in the spinach and tomatoes and stir in the nutritional yeast. Lastly pour in the vegan cream.
- Cook for 5 minutes more on medium low heat so everything has a chance to distribute it's flavor. Finally, gently toss in the set aside tofu. Stir gently so the tofu doesn't get too broken up.
- Serve hot, Try it over a bed of rice or noodles. Optionally substitute the tofu for chickpeas or white beans for a soy free version.
