Tofu cacciatore with creamy polenta
Seared tofu braised with peppers, mushrooms and garlic in a rustic, herby tomato sauce and spooned over soft, creamy polenta, Italian hunter-style comfort without the chicken.
- 65 min total
- 40 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.93 a serving
- 560 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 packages extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 4½ cups water, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 560 calories, 33 g protein, 60 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.93 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap both blocks of tofu in a clean towel, side by side, and press them under something heavy for 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Cut the tofu into 1-inch and with ½ teaspoon salt.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a large, deep over medium-high heat and the tofu, turning every few minutes, about 10 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 10 min
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Move it to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, pepper and mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are and the pepper is soft.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 8 min
Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes and stir 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Pour in the tomatoes and ½ cup water, add ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper, and return the tofu. with the for 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Lid ajar. Lid ajar means resting the lid on the pot slightly off-center, leaving a small gap. Some steam escapes, so the sauce thickens and doesn’t boil over, while most of the heat stays in.
How you’ll know: A thin wisp of steam drifts out of the gap, and the pot bubbles gently without spilling.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Meanwhile, bring 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Slowly pour in the cornmeal while , turn the heat to low, and cook 12 to 15 minutes, whisking every couple of minutes, until thick and creamy.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Low heatTimer: 13 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Polenta spits as it thickens. Stand back a little and use a long whisk or wooden spoon.Take the polenta off the heat and stir in the last ½ tablespoon oil. Taste both pots and add salt if needed.
Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls, top with the cacciatore, and finish with basil and parmesan.
Dolly’s tip: Polenta firms up as it cools. Loosen it with a splash of hot water if it sets before you serve.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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