Packaged baked tofu is the vegetarian equivalent of rotisserie chicken. You can buy it and do about a gazillion different things with it. Yes, a gazillion. I’ve counted. Throw a slab of it on a bun and top it with slaw, cube it and put it in salad, add it to a veggie stir fry, eat it as-is–it’s so versatile! Back in the day, before this whole food blogging thing, I used to always keep a package or two in the fridge for quick dinners when I didn’t feel like cooking.
I had the idea to do this Peanutty Quinoa Bowl recipe with store-bought baked tofu, but then I forgot to buy it. It actually wasn’t my fault–Whole Foods keeps moving things around and the baked tofu wasn’t where it used to be and when it wasn’t in its usual place, I was totally thrown off and forgot about it. Oops! Driving all the way back to Whole Foods for a package of tofu seemed silly, so I thought, hey, I’ll make my own baked tofu!
This recipe is similar to my Baked Barbecue Tofu, but the whole barbecue sauce thing can be a little bit limiting. Do you want barbecue sauce in your stir fry or salad? Maybe not. If you’re still skeptical about tofu, try it baked–really, I think you’ll change your mind. It’s marinated so it’s flavorful, not bland. Using a tofu press helps the tofu absorb as much of the marinade as possible. Baking it makes it chewy, not mushy. Barbecue tofu is awesome, but this baked tofu recipe has a savory Asian-inspired flavor that makes it work in a variety of dishes–stir fries, salads, and especially Peanutty Quinoa Bowls.
Peanutty Quinoa Bowls? Yes! These are so easy. You toss some quinoa and some veggies with peanut sauce and serve it with a few slices of baked tofu (either homemade or store-bought). You can do this! This recipe makes two servings; if you’re not sharing, throw the second bowl in the fridge and eat it tomorrow.
Quinoa and veggies tossed with homemade peanut sauce and topped with baked tofu.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 small broccoli crown, broken into florets
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices baked tofu
- 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in water or vegetable broth according to package directions. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the broccoli to the skillet with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and steam for about 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. Transfer the broccoli to the bowl with the pepper.
- Whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, water, tamari, sugar, and ginger in a small bowl. When the quinoa is done, transfer it to the bowl with the veggies and toss everything with the peanut sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the quinoa into 2 bowls, then top each with 2 slices of tofu and a tablespoon of chopped peanuts.
This marinated baked tofu is the perfect addition to stir fries, salads, and veggie bowls.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- A pinch or two of freshly ground pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed for 30 minutes, and cut into 8 slices (use a tofu press for best results)
Instructions
- Whisk together the tamari, maple syrup, olive oil, garlic, and pepper in a small baking dish. Place the tofu in the dish and let it marinate for about 30 minutes, flipping the tofu over after about 15 minutes. The tofu should soak up almost all of the marinade.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a baking sheet with oil or cooking spray or line it with parchment paper; place the tofu on the baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges are dark and tofu is chewy, turning tofu over halfway through cooking time.
141 Comments
Amanda
June 3, 2014 at 9:40 amI made this last night for my dad with a couple of changes (we are not vegetarians and he is concerned about soy consumption, so I actually topped it with shrimp, not tofu, and I had cauliflower, not broccoli) and I just want to say it was very very good. I had doubled the recipe to make sure there was enough and allow for leftovers, and there still weren’t any! Your peanutty dressing is so good I think I’ll try it on lettuce as a salad.
Kiersten Frase
June 3, 2014 at 1:21 pmI’m happy to hear it was a hit! I use a version of that sauce on salads all the time, so it definitely works like that! It’s also a good dipping sauce for steamed veggies. 🙂
Alexandra Paras
July 21, 2014 at 12:41 amOh my goodness! I made this yesterday for my lunch today & this week. It. Is. AMAZING!!!
I have never enjoyed tofu before (and I didn’t even have a press, I just used paper towel) and I LOVED this tofu. The peanut dressing is totally amazing on the quinoa and vegetables.
I’m just in love with this dish all around. Thank you so much for a wonderful new vegetarian meal!
Kiersten Frase
July 21, 2014 at 3:54 pmWoo hoo! It’s amazing what pressing, marinating, and baking can do to a slab of tofu, isn’t it? 🙂
Lila Perilloux
September 22, 2014 at 5:41 pmSo excited to try this! Did you know that freezing tofu (after pressing and slicing) helps it to absorb marinade? Even 30 minutes in the freezer does the trick!
Kiersten Frase
September 30, 2014 at 4:31 pmThanks for the tip!
becki
October 9, 2014 at 6:53 pmI really wish the tofu recipe was listed first. I’ve made this twice and forgotten both times that the tofu takes twice as long as everything else. Otherwise, I LOVE this meal and so does my family.
Archie
August 15, 2017 at 2:51 pmIt is a delicious recipe – I love it! But true, putting the baked tofu recipe below which takes over an hour messed up my timelines totally. It would be nice if the recipe instructions started with tofu prep, and while it bakes, the quinoa and veggie prep could take place. In any case, still a totally delish meal!!!
Skeptic
October 12, 2014 at 7:08 pmMy least favorite recipe on this site so far 🙁
Nikki @ Active Vegetarian
October 22, 2014 at 12:21 pmThis looks wonderful! What a great “complete” meal idea 🙂
Kirsten
October 27, 2014 at 10:15 amI’ve just discovered your site whilst doing a search for cauliflower rice! I was veggie for 18 years and whilst I’m not any more, I still love veggie food and am so excited to find your delicious recipes! Can’t wait to give some a try.
Wandalis Velez
October 27, 2014 at 4:23 pmHow much protein?
Jennifer
December 30, 2014 at 4:17 pmDo you have the nutrition info? It’s hard being a veggie diabetic. 🙁
Kate
January 5, 2015 at 8:55 pmi made this tonight & it was amazing! The only thing I did differently was add some matchstick carrots. Thanks for posting this; the peanut butter was perfect in the sauce & the tofu was excellent!
Adriana
March 30, 2015 at 10:21 amThat looks so delish. I am going to make this for my family today. What a great healthy recipe. Thanks again.
Diane
June 4, 2015 at 9:51 pmI have a pretty basic question! I feel like there is a tremendous amount of smoke/steam coming out of the oven while this cooks. It tastes great but this is the second time I’ve made it and worried about my smoke detectors going off! 🙂
gina
June 5, 2015 at 5:32 pmCould you slice the tofu BEFORE pressing?
Dana Raidt
June 5, 2015 at 11:40 pmHi Gina, Yes, you could slice before pressing. It may bake faster, though, so you’d just need to watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn or dry out!
Andree-Anne
January 3, 2016 at 8:10 pmhow much protein for 1 serving?
Dolly
January 24, 2016 at 2:29 pmHey! This recipe looks great, by the way, and I plan on trying it tonight! If I substitute tempeh for tofu (we ran out) how long would I bake it for?
Love your website!
Thanks so much,
Dolly
Jay
January 25, 2016 at 8:20 pmI made this as a stuffed roasted pepper instead (because I was too tired/lazy after the gym to chop-up the pepper), best thing I’ve eaten for a long time so going into meal rotation in my house. Thanks!
m. bloom
December 7, 2016 at 5:22 pmI love the look of this recipe and hoped to print it out so I could keep it on the kitchen counter while cooking. Aren’t your recipes usually set up to click for a printable view of the recipe?
Thanks!!
mb
Alissa
December 9, 2016 at 9:33 amThe print button is back on desktop – we were having a little trouble with it. We’re working on getting it back on mobile too!
mb
December 9, 2016 at 12:20 pmGreat!! Thanks!! (By the way, your site is my go-to source for vegetarian recipes — it really is the best!! So, thank you, not only for fixing the print-button, but also more generally, for creating, hosting and managing such a great site with great recipes!)
Calie
January 29, 2017 at 11:31 amI made a double batch last week to last me but my husband who’s the pickiest person I know decided he loved it and it was gone quickly. so im making it again this week it was so yummy. The peanut sauce really adds a great flavor. I kept the sauce separate and added it as I ate it. We went through the sauce fast so I would suggest making a lot of it.
R.Srivastava
February 16, 2017 at 1:08 amwow.. baked tofuss , really loved the recipe.. iam going to try this out. thanks for sharing the recipe.. the pics are awesome.. keep on doing.. thank you..
Cathy
May 6, 2017 at 10:17 pmWhere has the tofu recipe gone? Had this page saved to my favourites and now it’s disappeared!
Alissa
May 7, 2017 at 10:26 amApologies! We just did some work on the site and are having a few issues. We will get this fixed as soon as possible!
Alexis
May 15, 2017 at 9:50 pmAhhh! I love this recipe and come back to it all the time. But the baked tofu recipe is still missing! Help! I need tasty tofu!
Jamie
May 13, 2017 at 4:45 pmWaaaaa! I can’t find the tofu marine recipe! I use that sauce nearly every week, and it seems to just be MISSING!? Help! Please! We love to! Olive oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper (I add crushed red pepper for a tiny bite) bit how much?! Thanks for the help!
Amy
May 17, 2017 at 10:58 amHelp! I can’t find the baked tofu recipe. Ive made this twice so I know it was there before. Can’t seem to find it this time.
Amy
May 17, 2017 at 11:08 amI found it!! here’s the link to the baked marinated tofu:
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-peanutty-quinoa-bowls-two-make-baked-tofu/#262
oros
February 1, 2018 at 6:55 amThe peanut quinoa combo is a winner. I keep returning to this recipe 🙂
Katie Trant
February 1, 2018 at 10:24 amPeanut + quinoa for life!