Inspiration: What I really love about tofu is that no matter how it’s cooked, it does a great job of absorbing all of the other ingredients that it’s cooked with. You really can use it in all sorts of recipes with great results, even recipes where you wouldn’t expect tofu to be a main ingredient. I’ve been wanting to try this tofu Parmesan recipe for a long time, because I found the use of tofu in an Italian dish so unexpected and intriguing.

What we Loved: B and I both really enjoyed this weeknight meal. I particularly liked the crispy coating on the tofu and the bright flavor of the marinara sauce in this dish. And of course, the gooey strings of mozzarella went wonderfully with the rest of the Italian flavors, especially if you got a little bit of everything in one bite.  This dish is a great substitute for chicken Parmesan if you’re looking for a meatless meal.  And if you haven’t had tofu before, it has a very mild flavor that really allows the other ingredients in the dish to shine. In this case, that’s a lot of crispy, cheesy, tomatoey Italian flavors.

Helpful Hints: I might recommend cooking this meal in a nonstick pan, if you have one. I used a stainless steel pan, and I really had a hard time with the crust on the tofu sticking to the pan. If you use stainless, be sure to add plenty of oil!

Tofu Parmesan
Source: Adapted from I found Happy and serves 2

I changed the recipe around a bit to suit my tastes. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

1 container extra firm tofu
1 egg
1/4 – 1/3 cup almond meal (or you could use breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1. Drain the tofu, and pat dry with paper towels. Slice the tofu lengthwise into two thick slices, and then cut each slice in half so that you have a total of four pieces. Pat dry again.

2. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese to a food processor, and pulse until it is finely ground. Mix the Parmesan with the almond meal in a second shallow bowl.

3. Dip the tofu slices in the egg, and then dip them into the Parmesan mixture. Place on a plate and set aside.

4. Heat a healthy amount of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, enough to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Add the tofu slices, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Flip the tofu, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

5. While the tofu is cooking, heat the marinara in a small sauce pan.

6. When the tofu slices are almost finished cooking, spoon a bit of the marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the sauce. Cover the pan, and cook until the cheese is melted, just a minute or so.

7. Serve the tofu slices with the extra marinara.