If you regularly follow my culinary journey, you’ll know I often try to serve approximately the same dish to my husband Lulu, who is a vegetarian. I cooked chicken rolls for myself today, so for him I whipped up a mock bacon wrapped tofu equivalent dish with onion and mustard sauce. I used Morningstar Farms brand veggie bacon. I like the texture and the fact that it’s soft before cooking. Otherwise, this dish would be impossible to make.
The result was surprisingly tasty. And of course, the vegetarian version is much healthier than the non-veg version. This recipe works equally well with meat, and I’ll post the chicken roll recipe soon. I accompanied it with steamed vegetables so Lulu and I shared (pretty much) the same meal!
1. Info for Vegetarian Bacon-Wrapped Tofu Recipe
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 75.7Kcal
2. Ingredients for Vegetarian Bacon-Wrapped Tofu Recipe
- 1 (12-ounce) package firm tofu
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, blanched and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup sweet basil, blanched and coarsely chopped
- juice of half a lemon
- ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shaved
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup olive oil, as needed
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 12 veggie bacon strips, halved
3. Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- For the pesto: Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish. In a blender (or a mini-food prep if you have one), combine the herbs, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil. Season with salt (don’t over-season the pesto as the veggie bacon is already salty) and pepper. You might want to add about 2 tablespoons (or more) of water for a smooth flow. Set aside.
- Cut the tofu into ½-inch slices. In a wok, heat the canola oil. Pan-fry the slices on both sides until golden. The tofu should have a nice fried outer crust and still be moist inside. Transfer the tofu onto paper towels. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cut the tofu pieces in half lengthwise.
- Place the tofu pieces on a flat surface such as a cutting board. Spread about 2 teaspoons pesto evenly over the tofu. Top with cheddar cheese. Carefully roll up the tofu tightly. Wrap the tofu roll in veggie bacon. Using 2 pieces of twine, secure the bacon tofu wrap (you could also secure the wrap with toothpicks and snip the excess wood before cooking). Repeat with the remaining tofu pieces.
- Grease a pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the tofu rolls and cook over medium heat, turning on all sides for a total of 3-4 minutes so the veggie bacon becomes somewhat crispy.
- Place a small rack in the bottom of a baking dish and place the pesto stuffed bacon tofu wraps in the dish.
- Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and the cheddar cheese melts. Snip and discard the twine.
- Serve immediately with steamed vegetables and onion mustard sauce on the side. Garnish with pine nuts.
- Bon appétit!