Italian Style Baked Tofu

Makes 4 Generous Servings

Recipe by Nicole Cline of SeasonlyCreations.com

Adapted & Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We really liked this meatless dish.  It was tasty and very filling.  I prepared the recipe in the morning and then baked it at dinnertime.  Served with a crisp green salad, this makes a really nice dinner good enough for guests.  I did not use all the original listed measurements because of what I had in my pantry and fridge, but the recipe is pretty forgiving and so I’ve included what I used when I made it.

20 ounces plain extra-firm tofu (I used about 1½ packages.)  Cut into 16 (¼”-inch) rectangular slices.  Press between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to remove the moisture.

2 cups or so marinara sauce (I used about ½ jar of Local Folks Marinara Sauce.)

1 cup or so shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup breadcrumbs

½ cup yellow cornmeal (I thought this added great texture.)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons pizza or Italian seasoning

Approximately ¼ cup oil (for skillet)

1 large egg

¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Whisk together the milk and egg in a small bowl.  Combine the breadcrumbs, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in another bowl.  Coat each piece of tofu with the egg wash.  Then dip each piece of tofu in the dry mixture to coat.  Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil is hot.  Add the coated tofu, cooking until brown and crisp.  Flip to the other side and cook the same way.  While the tofu is cooking, add about 1-cup of the marinara sauce to a 9” X 9”-inch baking dish.  Once the tofu is done cooking, place half of them over the sauce in the baking dish.  Turn to coat.  Pour the remaining 1-cup of the marinara sauce over the first layer of tofu.  Top with the remaining tofu, turning the pieces to coat.  Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve immediately.  (It reheats well, so leftovers are still yummy.)