Tofu Parmesean

My parents were vegan from the time I was in third grade to the time that I was in sixth grade, so I ate a lot of tofu when I was a kid.  I remember having an issue with the texture, so I was a little afraid when I got the Vegetarian recipe (Tofu Parmesean) from the Recipe Swap.

Another problem I have is that I'm allergic to red sauces.  So, a recipe with red sauce and tofu seemed to be a double whammy.

So, I went through all of my cookbooks to try to find a recipe for a sauce that I thought would not make me sick.  I finally found this one and adapted it from Fix-It and Forget It Recipes for Entertaining: Slow Cooker Favorites for All the Year Round.

Stewed Tomatoes

2 qts of tomatoes cut into chunks

1/3 cup of sugar
1.5 tsp salt
dash of pepper
3 Tbsp butter 
2 cups bread crumbs
3 dashes of white cooking whine
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water

Place tomatoes in the slow cooker, sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.  Lightly toast the bread and spread with butter.  Cube the bread pieces and then put in with tomatoes.  Cover with the wet ingredients.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

I then put the ingredients in the blender with Italian spices and garlic and pureed it until it was the right consistency.

The Tofu Parmesean recipe was from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks. 
1 package extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
16 oz tomato sauce used from the recipe above
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. red pepper, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  In a shallow bowl combine bread crumbs, half the Parmesan cheese, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Slice the tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Press into the bread crumb mixture and set on a plate.

3.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place tofu in the pan and cook 7-8 minutes or until crisp and brown.  Drizzle with additional olive oil then flip and cook 5 minutes on the opposite side.  Remove from heat and place tofu on a plate.

4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat the tomato sauce, garlic, wine, peppers, and onion.  Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat. 

5.  Pour 3/4 c.  sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Put pan fried tofu on top of the sauce.  Top each slice of tofu with sauce then sprinkle it all with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve over pasta.
I had one problem with this recipe.  One was that the breading didn't stick to the tofu.  I think that is just due to the consistancy of the tofu, so I'm not sure how to fix that. 

The finished product was good.  I really liked the onion and the green pepper in the sauce.  I still have a tofu texture problem, but the dish tasted good. 

Other recipes from this swap can be found at Vegetarian Recipe Swap Roundup


Finished Product



Fresh out of the oven