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A quick vinaigrette gives this sheet pan roasted tofu recipe lots of bright, fresh flavor. Serve with steamed rice for a colorful vegan meal in just 30 minutes!
Do you enjoy tofu? My family does, but it took a while for us to get there.
One of the main complaints that I hear regarding tofu is that the texture is "weird". I've been to restaurants that have done some pretty questionable things with tofu, and I think it gives it a bad reputation.
Generally speaking, when I'm cooking with tofu at home, I like to buy extra firm tofu (or firm if extra firm isn't available) and press it.
There are plenty of gadgets that you can buy to make pressing tofu at home easy, like this one that has a lot of great reviews on Amazon.
But I don't have room for any unnecessary gadgets in my tiny kitchen, so I tend to try to find alternate methods.
When I press tofu, I drain the water, slice the tofu into several pieces (usually 8), and lay the slices down in a single layer on top of a cutting board that's covered with a double layer of paper towels. I then place another double layer of paper towels on top of the tofu, top it with another cutting board or heavy skillet, and place some cans from my pantry on top of everything to weigh it down.
I try to space out the cans so the weight is evenly distributed, and I'll leave it there to press for as long as I can. I find that even 15 minutes makes a big difference when it comes to the texture of the tofu. I often leave it for an hour, if I have enough time before I need to start cooking.
I always have good intentions when it comes to tofu, but I find it's one of the things that gets pushed aside in my refrigerator and ends up going bad before I get to use it.
But no more! I love having tofu as a meat-free alternative, and it's something that my omnivorous family really does enjoy. So I'm pledging to work on more recipes to showcase the beauty of this meatless source of protein.
This particular tofu recipe came from one of those days where I noticed the package of tofu in my fridge and wanted to try to use it up, along with some veggies that were also in need of rescue.
I've been loving these gourmet baby carrots lately. I pick up a double pack from the wholesale club, and I make all sorts of dishes with them. They usually end up as a side dish, but they were really easy to roast up with some onions and tofu for this sheet pan meal.
If you spy the rainbow-colored variety, go for it! They look so pretty and they really add some excitement to the meal. My 6-year-old was really excited to be eating purple carrots!
If you can't find these tapered gourmet ones, regular baby carrots are a-ok, as are larger carrots, but you'll need to cut them in half or quarter them lengthwise to make sure that they cook through in the brief time that this dish is in the oven.
The veggies in this dish are tossed with a quick vinaigrette to add flavor while they roast. I tossed them with the vinaigrette first, then spread them out in a single layer on the sheet pan, before gently tossing the tofu with the remaining vinaigrette.
The tofu is more firm after it's pressed, but it's still delicate and would likely break if you stirred it all together.
I put some jasmine rice in my Instant Pot to steam while the veggies and tofu were roasting, and dinner was ready in no time!
The tofu and carrot mixture would also be great, chilled, over salad greens, or tossed with lentils or farro.
What's your favorite way to use tofu? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Looking for more ways to use tofu? Check out some of our favorite recipes:
- Tofu & Black Bean Taco Boats with Jicama Mango Salsa
- Crispy Tofu Pad Thai
- Marinated Tofu with Stir-fried Veggies
- Sweet and Spicy Marinated Tofu
- Chinese Five Spice Crusted Tofu over Fried Rice
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan Mustard Roasted Tofu & Carrots
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 30-60 minutes pressing time, if possible)
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
A quick vinaigrette gives this sheet pan roasted tofu recipe lots of bright, fresh flavor. Serve with steamed rice for a colorful vegan meal in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) package extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons coarse ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound baby carrots (I used a gourmet rainbow mix)
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced ½-inch thick
- Steamed jasmine rice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare tofu: Drain tofu and blot dry with paper towels. Cut tofu crosswise into 8 slices. Lay slices down flat and cut each in half lengthwise, then across twice to make to 6 cubes. Place a double layer of paper towels on a cutting board and lay the tofu slices in a single layer on top of it. Top with another double layer of paper towels and lay another cutting board or baking sheet on top. Grab a few cans or other heavy items from your pantry and place them on top to weigh down the tofu. Let sit for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss onions and carrots in vinaigrette, and remove them to a large, rimmed baking sheet, leaving excess vinaigrette in the bowl. Spread veggies into a single layer, then gently toss the tofu with the remaining vinaigrette. Scatter tofu on top of the veggies.
- Roast veggies and tofu in the preheated oven until the carrots are cooked through and the tofu starts getting golden around the edges, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve tofu & veggies on top of steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
You can skip the pressing of the tofu, but be sure to blot it dry as much as possible before cooking. Pressing it is definitely worth the extra time if you have it!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 278
- Sugar: 5.2 g
- Sodium: 206 mg
- Fat: 20.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.9 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 11.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Gloria
One pan sheet dinners are so great. Easy to make any night of the week. This looks delicious and roasted veggies are the best. They turn out so sweet. This would make great leftovers for lunch the next day too.
Ashley
Isn't roasting magical? It's such a great way to make pretty much any veggie even better!
Tamara
Your narrative on this post could have been my own! (Right down to good intentions and throwing out the tofu!) We really do enjoy tofu, and I'm always looking for creative ways to use it. I press it in the same way as you do, and it usually goes into a hot cast iron skillet. I've never tried it in the oven, so I'm excited to try your recipe! And our Sprouts or HEB usually have the lovely rainbow carrots. Great post!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
I bet the mustard, carrot, tofu combo is amazing! It sounds so fresh and flavorful. And I love that you're able to do it all on one sheet pan!
Kiki Johnson
I love tofu and always go for the extra-firm myself. I always press the whole block, so I am definitely gonna try your method of cutting it into cubes before pressing! your sheet pan recipe sounds perfect for tonight's dinner! Thanks for sharing!
Paige
Yum! I love tofu, and who doesn't love an easy to assemble sheet pan dinner? Looks great!
Jordan
Love, love, love tofu! I can't believe I've never seasoned it with mustard. I also love sheet pan dinners. This is perfect for our meal plan next week.
Amanda Mason
I love how healthy this recipe is...and Vegan too!! I need to add more tofu into my diet and I think this is the perfect recipe to start with! Looks delish! I'll be trying this one soon!
JENNIFER
I love easy sheet pan dinners, especially during those hectic weeknights. I have a good friend whose just gone vegetarian and she's on the look out for new recipes. I'll be passing this recipe on to her!
Lois. O
This reminds me of my own go to sheet pan dinner of roasted vegetables and potatoes. which is one of my favorites, so I'm excited to add this delicious looking version to my repertoire!
Stacey
Oh I need to try this! I love sheet pan meals, but I don't always want to use chicken, this is perfect! Thank you!
Julie
I love, love, love sheet pan dinners for how easy and quick they are, but it's really hard to come up with good vegetarian options, outside of eggplant parm or plain roasted veggies. I love the addition of tofu -- I've actually never roasted tofu before and can't wait to give it a try!
Amy Nash
Thank you for your explanation of how you handle tofu! It's not something that we make at our house and I've been thinking about trying it but feeling unsure where to start. This is a great idea though!