One-Pot Wonders
Baked Tofu with Coconut Kale
Popular on Food52
71 Reviews
Deanna E.
May 20, 2021
This is one of our go to recipe. It's savory, easy, and makes great leftovers. Works well with plain rice, but the recommendation of coconut rice really kicks it up. The crispy edges of the kale, the way it soaks up the dressing... mmm. I highly recommend!
Mollyfyfe831
April 4, 2020
My cousin passed this on to me and I’ve passed this on to every single one of friends. It’s so good!!
Kait R.
February 12, 2019
I loved this recipe. Ive isn’t find the neutral oil was necessary. I also used shredded unsweetened coconut and it worked fine!
Heather C.
November 17, 2018
I should post a comment, because this is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I have made it so many times I've lost count. My husband would be happy if I made it every day. Once I made it for a community dinner and all 30 people raved about how delicious it was. (carnivores! enjoying tofu!) I prefer about half the amount of coconut, but that's my only change. Thank you!
Alexandra S.
November 18, 2018
So happy to hear this, Heather! My carnivore husband also loves this one. Thanks for writing in :)
LULULAND
June 11, 2018
Great flavor, but not really enough sauce for rice, I think I would double the sauce, maybe less siracha, thanks for recipe.
Jess Z.
March 7, 2018
this makes the BEST fried rice if you have any leftover during the week. All you need to do is chop up the tofu and kale into tiny pieces, heat in a pan, throw in cold rice (white or brown!), tiny cubed carrot, a touch more soy sauce, a squeeze of half a lemon, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sautee to your heart's content.
Rhonda35
January 3, 2018
As ALWAYS, Alexandra's recipe is spot-on delicious!!! I have yet to stumble upon a dud from her. #luckyus I changed nothing in this recipe, except I skipped the coconut flakes bc I didn't have any. Made the coconut rice as an accompaniment, as suggested. SO delicious! Thanks to all who commented with helpful hints below - much appreciated.
Alexandra S.
January 5, 2018
Rhonda!! You are too kind. Thank you. SO happy you liked this one. I love that coconut rice. Such a good combo. Hope all is well!
Amelia
November 6, 2017
Great recipe! Im pretty sure the kale in your pictures is Portugese kale by the way!
Marcellene
September 9, 2017
This is one of my "Sunday afternoon cookathon" lunch recipes for the week ahead. On top of brown rice, it is filling, delicious, and makes you feel good the rest of the day. Keeping it "vegan before 6"!
Ontariobnd
July 3, 2017
I'm expecting collard greens in my CSA delivery tomorrow - think I'm going to give this recipe a try using them. I'll report back; anyone else tried collards in place of the kale by any chance?
Lori
June 23, 2017
Made this last night. Easy and delicious! I can't stand sweetened coconut, I saw unsweetened at trader joes and this recipe was a perfect way to try it out.
Maura
June 23, 2017
we love this recipe but wondering if you have a less spicy substitute for sriracha so our toddler will enjoy it as much as we do too :)
Alexandra S.
June 23, 2017
Hi Maura,
I would either just leave out the Sriracha during the baking and squirt some over the finished dish, or, and this may sound gross: ketchup.
I would either just leave out the Sriracha during the baking and squirt some over the finished dish, or, and this may sound gross: ketchup.
melissa
April 11, 2017
do you cook the tofu for 20 mins, AND THEN add the kale and cook for 12-15 mins? (so the tofu cooks 32-35 mins total?) or do you add the kale at 5-8 mins?
Julia P.
April 26, 2017
The tofu needs the 32-35 minutes total to get crispy! And the kale needs that time to marinade too; I like to bake the kale for the full 15 minutes so it gets closer to being a kale chip.
Jaime S.
January 24, 2017
I just made this and its definitely good - but I feel like I would like it a lot better with something fresh to cut the sweetness/richness/saltiness. Anyone else feel this way and have any suggestions?
mer
January 14, 2017
This recipe is amazing! I make it and the coconut rice again and again and again and again and.... we like it best with dino (lacinato) kale because it is strong enough to get crispy and add those delicious crispy,caramelized bits. I make this recipe with two changes 1) omit the grapeseed oil and cut back a teeny bit on the coconut oil) and 2) to cook the coconut separately on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and then add it to the kale mixture just before serving. THe coconut I can source is cooked golden in less than 3 minutes. I find it rare to find vegetarian recipes with the kind of depth of flavour and umami that this dish has. Thanks so much for creating it!
Alexandra S.
January 14, 2017
So happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing your adaptations, all of which sound great.
Domanique A.
January 11, 2017
I made this the other night for a group of 8 people. I doubled the recipe, and instead of measuring out the kale, I just used a whole bag of prewashed, precut kale from Trader Joes.
The only thing was that I thought it was a little too oily for me. The rice helped to sop up a bunch of it. But for the next round, I'll probably cut the amount of oil used, like some of the other commenters have mentioned.
Also, my friends ranged from rabid meat eaters to very picky eaters, and everyone had seconds. :) It was a hit, I'll make it again.
The only thing was that I thought it was a little too oily for me. The rice helped to sop up a bunch of it. But for the next round, I'll probably cut the amount of oil used, like some of the other commenters have mentioned.
Also, my friends ranged from rabid meat eaters to very picky eaters, and everyone had seconds. :) It was a hit, I'll make it again.
Alexandra S.
January 11, 2017
So great to hear all of this — love the range of eaters :)
And yes, you're not alone regarding the oiliness — several commenters have had success cutting it back, so you should be good next time around. Thanks for writing in!
And yes, you're not alone regarding the oiliness — several commenters have had success cutting it back, so you should be good next time around. Thanks for writing in!
Cheryl
January 4, 2017
So, so delicious! Like others, I roasted cubed sweet potatoes per the recipe referenced above. I had a really large amount of kale and I used it all. I just put the tofu to one side of the baking sheet (I lined it with parchment paper) and put the kale on the other. It was kind of piled high, so I stirred it a couple of times during the baking. I already had plain cooked quinoa, so served over that; I'm sure the coconut rice would have been good, but rich. I can see how toasted nuts would be good with it, but not necessary. Would have loved to eaten the entire batch in one sitting but I restrained myself.
Alexandra S.
January 4, 2017
Nice! So happy to hear all of this, Cheryl! Quinoa sounds really nice with this.
Skiingstella
September 26, 2016
Loved this! However mine turned out too oily and too salty for my taste. I'm going to make it next time with 1/2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 Tbsp of coconut oil and take the soy sauce down to just 1 Tbsp. Love the idea below of adding sweet potato and mushrooms... I also think some toasted cashews or pumpkin seeds might taste nice in lieu of the coconut flakes.
Alexandra S.
September 29, 2016
Nice! Let me know how it goes with the changes. Nuts and seeds sound so good!
rosellagm
September 4, 2016
Would tempeh work instead of tofu?
Alexandra S.
September 4, 2016
I've only baked tempeh once, and it called for a longish marinade, so consider that first, and it baked for only 15 minutes or so, so you might be able to get away with baking it all on one sheetpan right from the start, or baking it for 5 minutes first, then adding the kale. Good luck!
Laura M.
August 25, 2016
I have made this several times and it never fails to impress. Last night I added cubed, crispy, baked sweet potatoes and sauteed mushrooms and served it over coconut farro, instead of rice.
It was simply amazing. The dish itself is a little one note, since you use the same sauce to dress the kale and the tofu but adding the sweet potatoes gives a crisp, sweet note and the mushrooms add a mild earthy flavor that really compliments the dish. I used farro because my husband prefers it to rice because of the chewy texture.
Thanks for this recipe. It's made meatless Monday something we really look forward to!
It was simply amazing. The dish itself is a little one note, since you use the same sauce to dress the kale and the tofu but adding the sweet potatoes gives a crisp, sweet note and the mushrooms add a mild earthy flavor that really compliments the dish. I used farro because my husband prefers it to rice because of the chewy texture.
Thanks for this recipe. It's made meatless Monday something we really look forward to!
Alexandra S.
September 4, 2016
So happy to hear this, Laura! Love the idea of adding sweet potatoes and mushrooms — will try that this fall! Love the idea of farro, too.
Leo S.
December 14, 2016
+1 for sweet potatoes and mushrooms! I let the mushrooms soak up some extra sauce and bake with the tofu -- they came out slightly crispy and a bit smoky. Really good.
Alexandra S.
January 24, 2017
Jaime — you can simmer the farro with half coconut milk and half water. I've never done this with farro, but I've made rice this way, and it's so good. There are instructions in this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/26046-crispy-coconut-kale-with-roasted-salmon-and-coconut-rice
Austin
June 10, 2016
So when I mix the sauce initially, it says to combine oils, does that include the coconut oil? I am assuming not because later on it says to add the coconut oil, but I wanted to be sure!
melissa
January 18, 2017
i added the coconut oil in step one, to my chagrin. :( forgot to read the recipe the whole way through first!
Ellie I.
June 8, 2016
This was some of the best tofu I've had. It is definitely best right out of the oven but I've had leftovers for lunch three days this week (at room temp, not reheated) and its still terrific. I didn't have enough kale so I threw in some cabbage. The cabbage was perfectly cooked and holds up better as leftovers.
Alexandra S.
June 8, 2016
So happy to hear this, Ellie! And great to know about the cabbage — will try this soon!
hookmountaingrowers
June 7, 2016
Used 2/3 cup of coconut flakes and that was sufficient. Used Lacinato kale. Delicious!
yiayia
June 6, 2016
Love the coconut --it really adds depth to the blandness of tofu! The stems of my kale were thick, so I cut them into 2-inch pieces and roasted them separately. Very tasty dish.
ctgal
June 2, 2016
This is delicious! I made it tonight for myself while hubby is playing cards. I cut down the last 3 tb to 1 Tb of oil, and it was undetectable. I used baby kale, as that is all I had in the refrigerator. I simply kept it in the oven for about 7 minutes, and that was sufficient. What a perfect easy recipe. My husband is not a fan of tofu, but I think he could manage this one. Thank you!
Alexandra S.
June 2, 2016
So happy to hear this! Baby kale sounds delicious. Nice to know about less oil! This is a tofu recipe my husband has come around to, too :)
HungryJo
June 2, 2016
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I used spinach because it's what ihad in the fridge, and could definitely have cut down on the oil, but this was a real winner. It's so much easier to include tofu in the weeknight rotation without needing to press it first. ::applause::
Alexandra S.
June 2, 2016
So happy to hear this! I've been curious about using other greens, so I'm glad to hear spinach works. I have mustard greens on hand that I'm going to try next. And I know, the no-pressing is key for weeknight meals :)
Elise C.
June 2, 2016
I always aspire to eat more tofu, and this recipe may just realise those hopes! Just wondering- do you cut the kale up leaving the central stems on?
Alexandra S.
June 2, 2016
I do! With this kale ("premier" kale) and lacinato kale, I cut off the very bottom stems that are looking a little scraggly, then cut straight across and through the central stems — they are tender enough to include here. With curly kale, I remove the leaves from the stems. I don't like using curly kale here, however — the leaves are too tough.
Elise C.
June 5, 2016
I just tried this and wow! I usually struggle to get tofu just right, but this was perfect! Managed to save some leftovers to see how it reheats :)
Theresa M.
June 1, 2016
Can this recipe be modified to be oil free?
Alexandra S.
June 1, 2016
Gosh, I don't know — I worry about the greens especially getting really dry but the tofu as well.
Theresa M.
June 2, 2016
trying to be heart healthy on an oil-free vegan diet. It's so hard as many recipes have oil. I may try just a spray of oil to coat and see if that works. I'll let you know.
brittany
June 1, 2016
Do you think this would still be good reheated?
brittany
June 1, 2016
At work, microwaving would be easier but there is a toaster oven. Any suggestions?
Alexandra S.
June 1, 2016
With some quick googling, it sounds as though the microwave can make the texture weird — a little rubbery. People seem to favor the toaster oven, so I say try it out! Maybe just enough to take off the chill?
brittany
June 1, 2016
Thanks, I'll try it out tomorrow! I just finished eating this. So good! Thank you for posting. I would probably add a little more sriracha to up the heat next time, but I'm a glutton for spice.
Alexandra S.
June 1, 2016
Nice! So happy to hear this. Totally understand wanting to up the sriracha :)
JoAnne L.
June 6, 2016
I have baked tofu and reheated in the microwave for years with very good results. The difference may be that my cubes are a bit larger, perhaps an inch and three quarters square. The time is very important, 20-25 seconds is usually adequate. Good luck!
Lisa
June 1, 2016
After looking it up, it seems you may be using Pemier Kale. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.
Alexandra S.
June 1, 2016
I think you're right! Thanks so much for looking this up, Lisa! The farm here in upstate NY that sells it is called Wellington's — I've been meaning to get in touch with them, but I think you are right about the Premier Kale. It's so good!
Courtney C.
June 1, 2016
This was awesome! I've made Heidi Swanson's Kale and Coconut Salad before and have a lot of love for it, but the Sriracha update was great. The tofu was my favorite part though as I've never had good luck baking tofu - it was always too dry. However, this was perfect, exactly as described! Thanks!
Alexandra S.
June 1, 2016
So happy to hear this, Courtney! I love the Sriracha, too, such a nice kick. And I'm so happy you liked the tofu!
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