Creamy Tomato Orzo with Crispy Tofu Cutlets

This dairy-free Creamy Tomato Orzo comes together in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients and can be served with some satisfying Crispy Tofu Cutlets. A tasty and healthy meal for the family.

It shouldn’t matter what day of the year it is, you deserve a comforting and lovely meal. And this Creamy Tomato Orzo is just that, but more. While it is rich in flavor, I also focused on making this meal as easy to prepare as possible because you also deserve a meal that isn’t overly complicated to prepare.

This orzo reminds me of this Toasted Garlic and Chickpea Orzo except with a focus on a more creamy orzo experience while still keeping this completely dairy-free.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tomato Orzo

Easy to make. The tofu bakes in the oven and the orzo comes together really quickly with simple ingredients.
Balanced and satisfying. This meal is a complete meal. The orzo is served with some protein-rich tofu that helps to compliment and make this meal a satisfying one.
Dairy-free. Instead of regular cream there are a number of different plant-based alternatives to choose from that I mention below.

Cutting board with a bowl of nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, cherry tomatoes, shallot, orzo, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and tofu on top of it.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Orzo: Feel free to swap with a different short pasta shape or for gluten-free, use gluten-free orzo or pasta that you love.
Tomatoes: I used a combination of cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.
Nutritional Yeast: This adds extra umami flavor to the tofu and orzo. If not a fan of nutritional yeast, use just a tablespoon of cornstarch to replace for the tofu and omit from the orzo or use a 1 tsp of yellow miso paste.
Vegetable Broth: The taste of your orzo can be heavily impacted by the quality of your broth. When possible choose a flavorful broth you love to make sure your orzo tastes amazing.
Dairy-free Cream: There are a number of brands that offer a vegan cream substitute, but for some classic options I use, I recommend either cashew cream, plain oat milk, cheap homemade vegan cream or canned coconut milk. You can also choose to replace the cream with equal parts vegetable broth.
Seasonings: I used a combination of onion powder, Italian seasoning, thyme and oregano for both dishes.

How to Make Creamy Tomato Orzo and Tofu Cutlets

Preheat the oven to 425F and evenly spread the oil on the bottom of a sheet pan. Cut the tofu block into 4 thin cutlet shapes lengthwise then set aside. Add the tofu to a shallow dish and drizzle over with the soy sauce to coat.

In a separate shallow dish add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, seasonings, zest and salt then whisk to combine. Grab a tofu slice and shake off excess soy sauce then place into the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place the coated tofu onto the sheet pan and repeat with the remaining tofu slices.