Maple-Roasted Tofu With Butternut Squash and Bacon

By Melissa Clark

Published December 31, 2019

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(749)
Comments
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A small amount of bacon adds a lot of smoky flavor to sweet maple-roasted vegetables and glazed tofu. It’s a colorful, cozy sheet-pan meal for tofu lovers who also eat meat, or bacon eaters who are trying to eat less meat. To make this dish vegan, skip the bacon, and add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika to the maple syrup mixture. Dicing the squash into small cubes helps it roast at the same rate as the brussels sprouts, so be sure to keep the pieces around ½ inch in size.

Featured in: The Meat-Lover’s Guide to Eating Less Meat

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

  • ¼ cup maple syrup

  • 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

  • ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 12 ounces butternut squash (1 small to medium squash), peeled, trimmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes

  • 1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, small ones left whole, large ones halved

  • 1 medium red onion, cut into ½-inch wedges

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • ¾ teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves

  • 2 ounces bacon, diced into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus more for drizzling

  • 1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

  • ½ cup sliced scallions (white and green parts), for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

43 grams carbs; 9 milligrams cholesterol; 427 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 949 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 19 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice tofu into 1-inch-thick slabs. Pat them dry with paper towels and arrange in single layer on a plate. Cover tofu slabs with more paper towels and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup, ginger and red-pepper flakes. Simmer until syrup thickens slightly, about 1 minute, then stir in ¼ cup olive oil.

  3. Step 3

    Place squash, brussels sprouts and onion in a bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, coriander, sage and half of the maple syrup mixture. Spread vegetables in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle bacon on top.

  4. Step 4

    Add soy sauce and 2 teaspoons lime juice to remaining maple mixture.

  5. Step 5

    Remove paper towels from over tofu, and sprinkle salt on tofu slabs. Tuck tofu onto the baking sheet with squash and brush half of the soy-maple mixture over the slabs. Roast for 40 minutes, tossing the vegetables occasionally. Halfway through roasting, flip the tofu slabs, and brush with remaining soy-maple mixture. Turn oven off and heat broiler.

  6. Step 6

    Broil tofu and vegetables for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up the bacon and the edges of the tofu. When vegetables are still hot, toss with remaining 1 teaspoon lime juice and the fish sauce. Garnish with sliced scallions and drizzle with more olive oil and a little more lime juice if you like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
749 user ratings
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Comments

JJ

Your recipes are excellent, but I'm dismayed by your telling people to use clingfilm/plastic wrap, plastic bags, foil, paper towels -- that stuff is never needed, and we're destroying the planet, our only home. In this case, designate a few kitchen towels for drying veg and tofu -- wash them separately (vinegar is a natural antibacterial) and use them only for food prep. Generations managed without paper towels (and foil and plastic), and we can too. Thanks.

Patricia

What about the fish sauce? Disappointing that the instructions for veganizing this ignore that ingredient.

JJ

Patricia -- Cooks Illustrated and Minimalist Baker provide recipes for vegan fish sauce; Gourmet Sleuth offers a vegetarian recipe. If these are too labor-intensive (they are for me), it might be possible to use a tiny amount of vegan Worcestershire (original Worcestershire is fish-based), coconut aminos, or vegan soy sauce or tamari -- not sure, though, because I don't know what fish sauce tastes like and thus don't know how to approximate it.

Sean

True story: We use the whole package of bacon rather than just two ounces. It might seem impossible, but it’s as good as you’d hope. Andbwe call it “Vegetarian Surprise.” Optional: serve with a garnish of statins.

Um What?

Bizarre recipe... These flavors should never be in the same place. Bacon and tofu? Sage and fish sauce? This is some fusion confusion. Unsatisfying for meat eaters and inappropriate for vegetarians. There is literally no target audience for this recipe.

Squeaky

@Um What?your review made me laugh! So funny. However, we love this recipe!

Squeaky

My family loves this recipe. I usually cube the tofu and cook on a separate sheet, as others have suggested. I also often serve with chicken meatballs brushed with the glaze instead of tofu, or just have the veggies as a side dish as I am doing tonight.

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