This tofu's coming for your rotisserie chicken

It's cheap. It's easy. It's delicious.

Hey bean team! The internet is absolutely jammed with meal-prep ideas centered on batch cooking proteins on the weekend. Sunday’s roast chicken becomes Tuesday’s sandwich and Friday’s salad topper. There’s no reason why tofu, which is quick to cook and even easier to flavor due to its spongelike nature, can’t also sit atop your meal-prep food chain. That’s why this week I’m sharing a pair of simple techniques for prepping those soybean blocks to toss into a variety of dishes—many of which are the same as you’d do with that beloved bird. 

I’m reaching for extra-firm tofu for this job, because it has the least amount of liquid in the block, so it crisps up quicker and doesn’t stick to the pan. It’s also extra chewy, which is great for emulating meaty dishes (and ideal for those who find tofu too squishy). Commit these methods to memory and you’ll always be a step closer to getting a protein-filled meal on the table. Even if you’re new to cooking tofu, I think you’ll find it’s easier than you thought, and a whole lot faster than batch cooking chicken. 

The review: Crispy, saucy, and spicy. That’s the way this tofu crumbles. 

These tofu nuggets will last in the fridge for 5 days—if you don’t eat ‘em first. Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Chicken nuggets were a childhood staple, and the craving for them still strikes. What I’m actually after in those moments is that crunchy, chewy texture—and of course the sauce. Lots and lots of sauce. In search of a super-crispy ’fu fighter to prep for the week, I landed on Claire Saffitz’s recipe for spicy tofu crumbles. In it, she deploys an interesting trick to deliver golden gems of craggy goodness with minimal fuss and very little mess. 

A lot of crumbled tofu recipes call for you to break up the block first. Instead, Saffitz first sears her extra-firm tofu in planks, which makes them easier to turn, until golden and crisp on both sides. Once the planks are done, she crumbles them up into the bowl with a fiery, salty sauce of soy, mirin, Sriracha, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger, and sliced Fresno chile. 

Check out Claire’s full spicy tofu crumble recipe at Bon Appetit

I whipped up these jagged, crispy tofu nuggs in 15 minutes flat, and since the tofu got crumbled into the sauce bowl, I barely even dirtied my skillet. Fast and unfussy, just how I like it. The texture was both crispy and pleasantly squishy. Tofu has a tendency to hold all the flavor on the outside, leaving the inside a bit bland and unseasoned. Tearing creates irregular edges that allow the sauce to seep into the crevices, while the pieces still retain a lot of crunchy exterior bits. 

These saucy crumbles last five days in the fridge so you can nosh on ’em all week long. They would be right at home in a taco or burrito, tossed on a grain bowl, or folded through some sautéed greens, per Saffitz’s recommendation. Personally, I’m excited to adapt this technique with a Buffalo sauce treatment and pile them in a wrap with my fave plant-based ranch dressing. 

The secret here is using your hands to crumble the tofu, which gives that finger-lickin’ sauce more surface area to cling to. There are a lot of other ways to prep tasty tofu tidbits. One of my faves involves shredding the block so it crisps up quickly. Time to break out the cheese grater. 

The recipe: A spicy sausage stand-in 

Chorizo is one of the animal proteins I miss the most, mostly because of how flavorful it is right out the packaging. Fortunately, you can whip up this make-ahead swap with a block of extra-firm tofu and a box grater. Pile this tofu-rizo onto rice, tacos, pasta, scrambled eggs, or a creamy potato soup. 

If you’re not grating your tofu, you’re missing out: First, you don’t need a tofu press or a wad of paper towels to get that sucker dry. Just use your hand to squeeze out whatever water you can; it’s okay if it breaks apart a bit since you’re shredding it anyway. Second, grated tofu crisps up super fast and clings to seasonings and sauces. It’ll work out even better if you store your tofu in the freezer. Freezing will help expel excess liquid, which makes the results even firmer and absorbent to the spice mix.

Toss this atop anything—or just eat it with a spoon. Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux

Tofu Chorizo

Yield: 4 servings