Cheese Crusted Tofu

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Since last week’s Q&A with Rawaan Alkhatib, I’ve been thinking about how she sought to challenge the perception of dates as a “healthy alternative” to granulated sugar. In her book Hot Date!, she brilliantly and persuasively illustrates the point.

It’s been on my mind because I realized I can be guilty of something similar when it comes to tofu. Certainly I love tofu as decadent and festive — particularly in its more proper context, in dishes like mapo tofu or kimchi jigae. But around here, I tend to give it an austere treatment. It’s a plant-based protein, a meat alternative, an easy anchor for a healthy dinner, and an affordable grocery store staple.

All that is true, but the latter framing tends to keep the lane narrow, resulting in recipes that hit protein targets, or help me develop vegan-only recipes, and perhaps limit me from other, less virtuous or dietarily restrictive experiments.

After all, like dates, tofu is a storied, versatile ingredient that deserves range (Andrea Nguyen’s Asian Tofu is a great resource if you’re looking to learn more and/or make your own tofu).

So inspired by Rawaan, I permitted myself to try something I’d been wondering about for a while: cheese-crusted tofu. It always seemed a little bit wrong. But everyone always talks about tofu as a “blank canvas”— why couldn’t it also be a vessel for a cheesy crust?

I hoped for the cheese to turn crispy, forming a frico-like coating around the tofu, and it does. Panko breadcrumbs help to hammer in the point, and a bit of chili powder or smoked paprika provides personality.

These aren’t difficult to make, but just a touch finicky because you’ll want to make sure to coat each cube in the cheesy crust as best you can, which requires going one-by-one.

You could easily just snack on them right off the pan, which is what we’ve been doing at my house all week. But to turn it into a meal and give the plate a jolt of brightness during a bitterly cold, generally exhausting week, I served them over a bright green smear of pea sauce. It is a welcome glimmer of color and, hey, also an extra hit of protein (28 grams in total, at 3 servings). The sauce is a quick one to make featuring frozen peas, inspired in part by the one from this protein bowl.

Give these a try and let me know what you think. Notes are below (even for veganizing the recipe).

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Chili-Cheese Crusted Tofu with Pea Sauce