Looking for a quick vegan dinner? This baked BBQ tofu recipe is easy to assemble with basic ingredients like peanut butter and barbeque sauce. Healthy, delicious and comforting!
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You might live in a house of wierdos when the most requested dinner item is baked BBQ tofu.
I learned to love tofu when, in my 20s, I worked in the kitchen of a vegan restaurant called High Noon Café.
By the way, I’m toying with the idea of assembling a recipe book(let) called 40 Years in the Kitchen because I have, in fact, been cooking almost constantly since my late teens. Hold that thought.
So, tofu.
Tofu is wonderful because it’s:
- nutritious
- adaptable
- convenient
Tofu Nutrition
1/2 cup serving of raw tofu has only 5 grams of fat, NO cholesterol and 10.1 grams of protein. The best part? All this goodness comes with only 94 calories. Plus it’s high in calcium and iron.
Tofu Adaptability
In my opinion, when people say they don’t like tofu, it’s because they haven’t had it cooked properly! Freeze it, squeeze it, blend it, mash it, fry it — tofu is a blank palette ready to be made into a breakfast smoothie, a savory quiche or a fruity dessert.
Tofu Convenience
Keep a block or two of tofu in the fridge, and you’re always ready for a quick meal. Unopened, it will stay fresh for 2-3 months. Our favorite way to store tofu is in the freezer, where it can hang out for up to 6 months! Just make sure to let it thaw completely before cooking.
Baked BBQ Tofu As Vegetarian Comfort Food
We’re Orthodox Christians which means that we fast (eat vegan) a lot.
When the kids were little we ate some… let’s say earthy… stuff.
So when it was someone’s birthday or maybe just a Friday night when we all needed a bit of cheer and comfort, I made, for a treat, BBQ tofu, mashed potatoes and green peas.
And everyone got super excited.
And they still do.
I was so touched recently when my 30-something son asked for this very menu for his birthday dinner. It’s scary getting older, having kids and realizing that you’re responsible for A LOT. So his request for a meal from his childhood made perfect sense.
Tofu as comfort food. I like it.
I think you will, too. Here’s the recipe:
This is based on a recipe from Louise Hagler’s book, Tofu Cookery. Served with mashed potatoes and green peas, it is hands-down my family’s favorite vegan fasting meal!
Baked BBQ Tofu
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 pounds firm tofu frozen, thawed and squeezed dry
Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup peanut butter I like chunky, but creamy is fine!
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp garlic granules or 1-2 cloves minced fresh
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups barbeque sauce store bought or homemade
Instructions
- Tofu that's been frozen has a meaty texture: Freeze the tofu in its original packaging, then let it thaw completely. (This will take a good while, so plan ahead). Once thawed, squeeze out all the water.
- Slice the tofu in 1/2" pieces and place on an oiled baking sheet.
- Prepare the peanut sauce: mix water, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic and pepper together in a bowl. A metal whisk works nicely for blending.
- Pour half of the peanut sauce evenly over the tofu slices. If it doesn't exactly pour, just glob it on! Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven. Turn tofu slices over, and pour/glop remaining peanut sauce over. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Remove pan from oven. Pour all the BBQ sauce evenly over the tofu slices and, yes, once more, return to the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes. I like to cook it 15 minutes as the BBQ sauce begins to caramelize. Yum. Just watch it though so it doesn't burn!
- Serve with homemade mashed potatoes and English peas, as we call them in the south! My kids liked for me to make a "ditch" in their pile of potatoes and fill it with peas.
By the way, if it’s just you or perhaps just you and the old bloke for dinner, this recipe for baked bbq tofu is easily halved.
Enjoy, and let me know how it goes!
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