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Tofu is baked in a smoky chipotle barbecue sauce and served with sweet and smoky flash fried collard greens and your choice of grain for an easy and delicious dinner! It’s vegan and gluten free, so perfect for everyone!

Everyone needs a go to baked tofu recipe to feed our inner hippie. It really doesn’t matter if you’re vegan or just trying to eat a bit more plant based! Good baked tofu is for everyone!

And this might just be my favorite stand alone baked tofu meal. Tofu, baked with a delicious homemade chipotle barbecue sauce and served with rice (or potatoes or vegan mac and cheese) and smoky collard greens.. it’s just so delicious!

We’ve been making some version of this recipe for years, but this is the barbecue baked tofu to end all barbecue baked tofus! And it starts with the barbecue sauce–the easiest barbecue sauce there ever was!

It is such a delicious barbecue sauce, I had to give it its own recipe post. But I’ve also left the recipe at the bottom of this post so keep scrolling to find it!

While you certainly could use a store bought barbecue sauce to make this recipe, the homemade version is easier and tastier, so I implore you to try it! It’s zippy and tangy, and oh so flavorful! And pantry friendly, so easy to throw together as a last minute meal.

Tofu pairs so well with barbecue sauce, because it lets the bold BBQ flavor shine. When tofu is baked, it gets nice and chewy, and thickly coated with the flavorful sauce.

Making the baked chipotle barbecue tofu:

To get a delicious baked tofu first choose the firmest tofu available to you. Typically that’s going to be extra firm or super firm tofu.

If using extra firm or a firm tofu then press out extra water from the tofu. If using super firm tofu there is no need to press the tofu as it already has more of the liquid pressed out of it.

To press the tofu, cut it into 8 slices and wrap it in either paper towels or a lint free kitchen towel. Then place something heavy on top, like a cast iron pan, or a cutting board with some cookbooks or canned goods placed on top.

Pressing the extra water out of the tofu makes for a firmer tofu and improves the texture. It also opens up space for some of the flavors to soak into the tofu.

Once pressed, the recipe couldn’t be simpler. Layer some barbecue sauce in the bottom of the pan, add the tofu, and pour sauce over to cover the tofu. Then bake the tofu until the sauce is thickly coating the tofu and glossy, flipping the tofu halfway through.

While the tofu is baking is a great time to make a veggie side to go with it.

My favorite pairing is my smoky collard greens (recipe also posted at the bottom of this page). But if you’d rather have some steamed or roasted broccoli, or brussels sprouts, or whatever else go ahead and make it!

But assuming you follow suit and make the smoky collard greens, they take about 15 minutes from start to finish so it’s can be casually taken cooked while the tofu bakes!

It’s also a good time to prepare any carbs or grains you want to serve alongside the tofu. Unless you’re making brown rice or another slow cooking grain, and in that case you’ll want to get that started while you’re pressing the tofu.

I love this recipe because of how hands off it is! The barbecue sauce is no cook and comes together in minutes. Your oven does all the work cooking the tofu, and the collard greens are so quick and easy to make.

It makes for a delicious summer barbecue plate, or will warm you up on a cold winter day. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

If you make this chipotle barbecue baked tofu, leave a comment below and rate the recipe on the recipe card. And please share your photos with me on Instagram, tag @thecuriouschickpea and #thecuriouschickpea. I love seeing your recreations! WANT MORE DELICIOUS VEGAN RECIPES?

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Continue to Content Chipotle Barbecue Baked Tofu Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Tofu is baked in a spicy, smoky barbecue sauce and served with smoky flash fried collard greens for a delicious vegan and gluten free barbecue plate! Print Ingredients 1 lb extra firm tofu

Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, below

1/2 cup water

Smoky Collard Greens, below To serve Rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes

herbs for garnish, e.g. cilantro or scallions Instructions Preheat the oven to 400 ºF. While the oven is preheating, press the tofu. Cut the tofu into 8 slices widthwise. Arrange the slices on a lint free kitchen towel, or paper towel. Wrap the towel around the tofu to cover and then place a heavy skillet, pot, or a baking sheet and some books on top. Leave to drain for around 30 minutes. Mix the chipotle barbecue sauce with 1/2 cup of water. In a square baking dish or small baking tray, spread some barbecue sauce to coat the bottom. Arrange the pressed tofu on the sauce and brush the rest of sauce over top the tofu to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the tofu and bake an additional 10 minutes. The barbecue sauce should be thick and bubbly. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve the tofu with collard greens with some rice or mashed potatoes and sprinkle herbs on top for garnish. Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540 Total Fat: 8g Fiber: 8g Protein: 18g Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate. Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Continue to Content Smoky Collard Greens Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8 minutes Total Time: 18 minutes This is an easy and delicious way to prepare collard greens, as well as other dark leafy greens! They're garlicky, smoky, and with a touch of sweet. Vegan and gluten free! Print Ingredients 1 large bunch (~1 lb) collard greens

3 tsp oil, divided

pinch of salt, or more to taste

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbsp low sodium tamari soy sauce

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce

1/2 tsp liquid smoke Instructions Wash the collard greens thoroughly and cut away the tough stem. Taking several leaves at once, stack them and then roll the stack into a tight cigar shape. Slice the rolled collard greens into thin strips. Repeat until you've cut all the greens. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce, and liquid smoke. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil, and then add the collard greens and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens are wilted, tender, and bright green. Move the collards over so they only cover about half the pan. In the empty space, add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and the sliced garlic. Cook the garlic in oil, stirring, for about 60 - 90 seconds or until it is lightly golden. Then stir everything together. Add the soy sauce mixture to the greens and cook for another minute or so, until the sauce is thick and absorbed. Taste, and add salt if desired. Remove from heat. Notes If using regular soy sauce (not low sodium), start with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and add more to taste to keep the greens from being too salty. Recommended Products As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. San-J Organic Reduced Sodium Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce -- 20 fl oz - 2 pc Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 84 Total Fat: 4g Sodium: 585mg Carbohydrates: 10g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 3g Protein: 4g Nutrition is calculated automatically so should be used as an estimate. Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

This recipe was originally posted on April 25, 2017. A photo from the original post is below!