Tasty Tofu, Red Pepper & Courgette Casserole
After reading about Jamie Oliver’s Hero Foods, I decided that I wanted to try to add more Tofu to my diet. I thought about trying to come up with a Vegan Tofu Lasagna, but I really wanted to avoid pasta. I came up with this delicious Courgette and Red Pepper Tofu Casserole recipe last week – it so easy to make and is 100% plant-based. The ingredients are pretty cheap and I managed to get 6 servings out of my veggies, which gave me a tasty lunch to take into the office for my week at work.
A lot of people are a bit funny about Tofu, but it’s a great ingredient and is so versatile when it comes to cooking. Tofu is basically mashed soy beans and is low in fat and calories. It is a great source of protein, calcium and iron.
- 2 gloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 cups of chopped mushrooms
- 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
- 400g tofu
- 2 tbsp. of lemon juice
- 3 cups of baby spinach
- 500g strained tomatoes
- 2 large red bell peppers (or 3 – 4 small)
- 2 courgettes
- Pre-head the oven to 190 degrees
- Cut the tops off your red peppers and half them twice longwise
- Cut the ends of your courgettes and cut down the middle so you have 8 long slices
- In a large pan, sauté your mushrooms, onion and garlic in coconut oil until the onions start to turn golden
- Pour in your strained tomatoes and add the spinach and season with herbs (I used basil) before leaving to simmer for a few minutes
- In a bowl, mash your tofu with a pinch of black pepper and mix in your lemon juice
- Remove your tomato mix from the heat and transfer half into a large oven dish
- Top this with half of your peppers
- Spoon half of your lemon tofu mix onto the peppers before adding half of your courgette slices
- Repeat the above (saving some tomato mix for the top)
- I added a final handful of spinach before roasting in the oven for 30 minutes before serving
I prepped this meal in a similar style to the way you make a lasagna, with layers of different veg which worked well when dishing up. This is a delicious, low-fat casserole which stayed fresh for 5 days in the fridge. Let me know if you try it, I love seeing all the pics 🙂 Happy Tuesday – Jess x
