Baked Tofu

Baked tofu is the first recipe in this series dedicated to the versatility of tofu! you can use these tofu pieces in a sandwich as you would deli slices or in a breakfast sandwich as you would ham or bacon.

You can serve it as the protein along with rice and vegetables or mashed potatoes and veggies. Cut it into smaller pieces and add it to salads including macaroni salad. I like to cut them into smaller pieces and add them to tofu scramble or quiches.

There are endless ways to use this tofu. Let your imagination go wild. Keep in mind you don’t have to use the marinade suggested in this recipe. you can use any flavors you like and then use this baking technique to achieve your desired result.

Some people can’t eat soy products but you can get tofu made from chickpeas, hemp or pumpkin seeds which often have more protein than soy tofu. I can find soy free tofu at my local Fresh Thyme store. Franklin Farms makes a chickpea based tofu and there’s always online grocery stores to access soy free tofu.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 block of tofu frozen and then thawed

  Marinade

• 1/2 cup of soy sauce

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  Take your frozen and then thawed tofu out of the package and cut it into about 15 thin rectangular pieces.

  Mix the soy sauce, water and sugar with a small whisk or fork. It will take about a minute to get the sugar to completely dissolve.

  Next mix in the remaining ingredients.

  Put as many tofu pieces into the container of marinade as you can fit and still have them completely submerged. Let them soak up as much liquid as they can for 2 minutes then flip them and wait another 2 minutes. Pick up each piece one by one allowing the excess liquid to drip off before placing them on a baking tray. Save any leftover marinade for other recipes.

  I like to use unlined pizza trays with the holes in them but you can use any tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. If you use an unlined pan with holes you’ll want to put another baking sheet on the oven rack under it in order to catch the marinade that will inevitably drip down into your oven and cause a need for cleaning immediately afterward.

  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Check your pieces after 15 minutes. You are looking for the pieces to turn darker brown and begin to get more dry and less squishy. The amount of time you need to bake these depends on your oven, your pan and your preference. Sometimes I like the tofu pieces to be a bit underdone so they can cook more when I heat them up in the air fryer. Also sometimes I just want a softer tofu bite vs the chewy bite I want when I’m using it like I would bacon or ham.

  When the pieces are done take the tray out of the oven and allow them to cool until they are room temperature. Store them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for later use. I like to do that if I baked a lot of tofu for meal prep.