Lemon Marinated Baked Tofu

My family loves tofu. The kids will even eat it uncooked and cold. I however, would prefer a bit more flavor for my dinner.  So, a couple of years ago I started searching for good marinated baked tofu recipes. I came across this recipe on about.com. It’s the best baked tofu recipe I’ve tried. This marinade includes all the great elements of a marinade – an acid (lemon), fresh herbs, salt (soy sauce) and oil. This recipe has been a winner in our house and everyone packs in so much, that there’s rarely any left overs. If I had to make it for Kristen’s larger family I’d make a double batch for sure.

Be sure to press the water out of the tofu first. This ensures that it can not only soak up the marinade, but also brown nicely when baking. It will get crispy around the edges. To press the moisture out, I usually layer a cutting board, a dish drying towel, then tofu, another towel, and then a second cutting board, with cast iron pans on top for weight. Of course, paper towels can easily be used instead of dish towels. I press the tofu for at least 15-20 minutes prior to marinating. Remember, the longer it marinades the better, but this can also be a last-minute dinner fix. Just serve it over some rice with Kristen’s green beans and it’s a perfect Meatless Mondays meal.

Unfortunately, the only thing that doesn’t love this tofu is the camera. I think in general tofu is the least photogenic food out there. Trust me it’s a lot more delicious than it looks!

Lemon Marinated Tofu

2 blocks firm or extra-firm tofu, well pressed
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Slice your pressed tofu into 1/2 inch thick strips.

Whisk together all ingredients except for tofu. Transfer to a shallow pan or zip-lock bag and add tofu, coating well.

Allow tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour (the longer the better!), turning to coat well with marinade.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer tofu and marinade to baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through and pouring extra marinade over the tofu as needed.

 

Lemon Marinated Tofu
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Cuisine: Dinner
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 blocks firm or extra-firm tofu, well pressed
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Slice your pressed tofu into ½ inch thick strips.
  2. Whisk together all ingredients except for tofu. Transfer to a shallow pan or zip-lock bag and add tofu, coating well.
  3. Allow tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour (the longer the better!), turning to coat well with marinade.
  4. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  5. Transfer tofu and marinade to baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through and pouring extra marinade over the tofu as needed.

 

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4 thoughts on “Lemon Marinated Baked Tofu

  1. Made this last night and my picky 3 year old said “yum…mommy, this is so good!” He is a tofu fan already but usually we just do plain or terriyaki flavored. So I was convinced the new flavor of this version would throw him for a loop and produce a “yuck I don’t like this” comment. But it didn’t! And even my meat-loving husband enjoyed it too!

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