Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini
Updated Nov. 16, 2022

- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1(14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and patted dry
- 1(15½-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 3garlic cloves
- 2lemons
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½tablespoons za’atar dry spice mix (see Tip)
- 1teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
- ½cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼cup tahini
- 1tablespoon honey
- 1(8-ounce) bag leafy greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale or mixed greens
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tofu into ½-inch-thick slices and place them on a kitchen or paper towel to dry out.
- Step 2
Combine the chickpeas and tomatoes on a half-sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to season.
- Step 3
Using a Microplane or other fine grater, grate the garlic cloves and zest 1 lemon into a large bowl. Squeeze ¼ cup juice from the lemon (using the second lemon if needed) and reserve. Add the oil, za’atar, oregano and ¼ cup chopped parsley to the garlic mixture and stir to combine. Pour half of the marinade over the chickpeas and tomatoes, toss to combine and spread in an even layer. Roast until the tomatoes are just beginning to burst open and the chickpeas are warmed through, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, add the soy sauce to the remaining marinade and stir. Add the tofu slices to the bowl and carefully turn each piece to coat both sides. Allow the tofu to marinate while the chickpea mixture cooks, then nestle the tofu slices, topped with any leftover marinade in the bowl, among the chickpeas and tomatoes on the sheet pan.
- Step 5
Roast until the tofu begins to brown around the edges and top, the tomatoes have burst open releasing their juices and the chickpeas are golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes.
- Step 6
While the tofu roasts, whisk together the tahini, honey, reserved lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Step 7
Divide the leafy greens among 4 bowls. Dress the tofu, chickpeas and tomatoes on the baking sheet with 4 tablespoons of the tahini mixture and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup parsley. Divide evenly among the bowls and spoon additional dressing all over everything.
- Za’atar, the classic Middle Eastern seasoning, is a mix of savory dried herbs, sumac and sesame seeds. It can be purchased as a pre-made blend or made at home.
Private Notes
Comments
Nice weeknight meal.Added more tomatoes. Prepped in advance: marinated both the chickpea/tomato blend and sliced tofu all day. Dinner was ready in 35 minutes! Tahini dressing a bit flat-I added little cayenne and half clove grated garlic along with hefty pinch salt and some pepper. @James W:Roast Chickpea/tomato for 15 min, then add Tofu to sheet pan and roast for another 15 min.
The full 1/4 c of lemon juice goes into the tahini sauce in step 6. Only the zest goes into the marinade. The only reason you need 2 lemons is in case you can't get 1/4 c of juice from 1 lemon, which happens sometimes.
Adding all of the marinade to the sheet pan when you add the tofu makes for way too much oil. Instead, reserve the remaining half of the marinade; stir in the honey (or maple syrup), lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, instead of the tahini. Thin it with a bit of water if you need to. This becomes your dressing. Delicious! Round out the bowl with steamed farro and sliced zucchini roasted alongside the tofu.
I agree with other comments regarding the oil. Definitely don't need 1/2 cup! Save yoru oil for something else. Maybe use 1/3. The recipe is excellent, especially over farro!
Really delicious. Agree that you probably only need half the amount of recommended oil. I managed to make it correctly the first time by reading comments, but made the same mistake a lot of others did the second time with the lemon. I wish they would edit the recipe to make the “squeeze and reserve the lemon juice” as a completely separate step. By the time the recipe mentioned it again in step 6, I’d already added all the marinade ingredients to it. I added zucchini with the tofu, instead of leafy greens, and served it with roasted potatoes.
I was banking on Trader Joe's having their Za'atar spice mix in stock, but they did not. Instead, I used furikake. Definitely changed the flavor profile but still worked out!
