Growing up, the only non-fish, non-seafood my family ate was poultry. We only ate it a couple times a month, and except for Thanksgiving it was never cooked in the house. When I was 15, I realized that poultry was just food to me and I didn’t actually enjoy it for itself, and I decided to stop eating it.
I’m not a huge fan of fake meat substitutes, and I don’t specifically seek them out. I’ve never eaten red meat and specialty gave up poultry, so I don’t want to eat something meant to mimic them, for me it defeats the point. As you can imagine, this has led me to seek an enjoyable substitute for a main course on Thanksgiving. After I moved to Texas, the first couple years that I prepared Thanksgiving I made tofu pot pies. I had not grown up eating pot pies, but after trying the commercial version from Amy’s, I really enjoyed it and wanted to make my own. The downside of eating this for Thanksgiving was that it didn’t leave me wanting all the sides that for me are integral part of the meal. Several years ago, I went in search of a recipe for baked tofu. I stumbled across this recipe, and while I really like it, I have needed to tweak it slightly over the years to streamline the recipe and make it more like the baked tofu I envisioned.
It is super easy to put together. A block of tofu is sliced and placed in an oven safe dish. There is no need to press the tofu or anything, since you’re adding water and then baking it off, so it makes for easy prep. A variety of herbs are added to hot water with a little bit of oil, and poured over the tofu. It is placed in the oven and baked until the liquid evaporates. Other than periodically turning the tofu slices, it is a completely hands-off process.
The results is a fantastic tasting tofu I really enjoy, and that my vegetarian friends also really enjoy. I recommend making a double batch (which is what is pictured) and setting half aside for these tofu pot pies – you won’t be disappointed with either!
Ingredients
- 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu (see note)
- 1 cup water
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or roasted granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the block of tofu in to about 1/4" thick slices; you will have 7 to 8 slices. I always cut so I have short, fat rectangles rather than long ones, but it doesn't matter at all. Arrange the tofu in a baking dish (I prefer glass) that will hold all your tofu but doesn't have much extra space.
- Place water in a large microwave-safe measure, and microwave for 2 minutes until very hot and small bubbles are visible on the bottom. Alternately, boil water and measure out 2 cups. Mix the herbs, garlic, and salt into the water, and then mix in the oil. Pour the marinade over the tofu, scraping out all the herbs from the measuring cup.
- Place the baking dish in the oven, and set a 30 minute timer. After 30 minutes, carefully turn each piece of tofu over. Set another 30 minute timer. Sometime during this time, the water will begin to boil in the pan, this is a good sign.
- Keep setting the timer and turning periodically until most of the liquid has been boiled off. The tofu slices will look brown and more compact, and the dried herbs will be clumped around the tofu. There will be a little liquid left, which will look a bit like greenish oil. If you're not sure if it's too much, put it back in for 5 or 10 minutes, and if you don't notice a difference, then it's probably done. The tofu will cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, depending on a lot of factors.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool unless you're planning to eat immediately. Some of the extra oil will absorb into the tofu while it cools. Refrigerate tofu in the pan, or pile the slices in a ziploc bag or container. To reheat, warm in the oven or microwave until hot.
- Notes: I tried this recipe with super extra firm tofu, and didn't like the results as much as with extra firm tofu, which is my default purchase. I've noticed that many brands no longer sell 16 ounce containers, instead the tofu is 14.5 ounces or so. An undersized block will work just fine with the proportions as written; if you make multiple blocks, you can cut down. I made 4 blocks of tofu (each 14.5 oz) and made only 3.5 recipes of marinade (instead of 4). I suspect the water can be dropped further, but have not tested anything lower at this time.
- If making tofu pot pies, save any extra oil and all the extra herbs for use in the sauce. If you would like to make gravy to have with a festive meal, the sauce from the pot pie recipe makes a great vegetarian gravy, and the oil and herbs from the tofu really tie it together.