Tofu shakshuka
Thick slices of tofu simmered in a smoky, cumin-spiced tomato and pepper sauce until they soak up every bit of it, a vegan shakshuka with crusty bread for dipping.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.62 a serving
- 450 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 slices French bread
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 pinch sugar
Each serving has about 450 calories, 30 g protein, 34 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.62 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 diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the tofu dry and cut it into 8 slices about ½ inch thick.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Heat the oil in a large over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring now and then, about 6 minutes, until soft.
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.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min
Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika 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, add ½ teaspoon salt and the sugar, and about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce .
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.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: It’s thick enough when a spoon dragged through it leaves a path that fills in slowly.Sprinkle the tofu slices with the last ¼ teaspoon salt and nestle them into the sauce. Spoon some sauce over the top.
Cover and 8 minutes, until the tofu is hot through and has soaked up the sauce.
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.
Low heatTimer: 8 min
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Toast the bread while it simmers.
Scatter the parsley over the pan and serve straight from the skillet with the toast for dipping.
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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