Creamy Tomato Orzo with Crispy Tofu Cutlets
While the tofu bakes, prepare the orzo. Place a medium sized skillet over medium low heat. Add in the oil and allow it to warm through then add in the cherry tomatoes and stir. Continue to sauté for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to blister and release some of their juices.
Add in the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes and a pinch of salt and continue to sauté until the shallots begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and continue sauteing until fragrant.
To the pan, add the orzo, nutritional yeast and oregano and stir to combine. Pour in the vegetable broth and your cream of choice and stir well. Bring to a simmer and continue to stir frequently for about 10-12 minutes or until the orzo has absorbed a good portion of liquid. If the orzo appears to be drying up quickly, reduce the heat and add an extra splash of water or reserved vegetable broth as needed.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the spinach, allowing the natural heat of the orzo to wilt the spinach then season to taste before serving with some of the crispy tofu.
Expert Tips
- Make this gluten-free by swapping the bread crumbs for gluten-free bread crumbs (I do recommend pulsing these into a finer crumb before use), the pasta for gluten-free pasta and soy sauce for a gluten-free soy sauce. Note, if you are vegan you will want to also make sure that the gluten-free bread crumbs are vegan as well.
- Skip the tofu. If you are allergic to soy, skip the breaded tofu and roast some chickpeas to add on top. You can follow the steps for these roasted chickpeas in this recipe.
- Speed the cooking process up by cutting your cherry tomatoes in half before adding them to the pan to sauté. This will save a couple of minutes versus waiting for the tomatoes to burst.
- Once you add the orzo, continue to stir. This will help prevent your orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
- To make a cheap dairy-free cream at home, combine 1 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond milk with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Whisk or blend to combine and use as the cream alternative.
How to Serve
This plate is a complete meal. This meal includes protein from the tofu, complex starches from the orzo and vegetables thanks to the addition of both the tomatoes and spinach. You can add some extra additions to this meal as desired including this White Bean Zucchini Salad or slice up some of this No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread and turn it into garlic bread.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
