Marry Me Tofu Bake (no pasta lasagna)

Marry me tofu bake is like a high protein plant-based lasagna style bake. Tofu, creamy smoky sauce, spinach sun-dried tomato tofu ricotta, and no pasta! It is a layered tofu bake like my tofu parmigiana. Easy to make all in one baking dish. Over 20 gm protein! Options for gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

My husband loves my tofu parmesan bake, and so did you guys, because lots of you have made that one and variations of it since I first posted it. It’s basically like a lasagna with this delicious spinach ricotta filling and some pasta sauce, all layered up but with tofu slices instead of lasagna noodles. It’s a hearty dish that’s easy to make and can be served in various ways.

For this marry me tofu bake, I changed up the fillings. I used the flavors from my marry me pasta and made this creamy smoky sauce and the an umami filled ricotta filling to create something new and delicious. It has this incredible, smoky rose-style sauce. Then, we make the spinach ricotta filling, but we also add sun-dried tomato and some heat to it for a richer deeper umami flavor.

Together, all of these flavors create a sort of a marry me pasta flavor profile, but in a parmigiana kind of format. This bake is hearty, delicious, and everybody’s going to keep going in for seconds. And thirds!

It is a high-protein dish, because we use tofu layers instead of lasagna noodles, add tofu to our spinach ricotta filling and even in the creamy pasta sauce. The pasta sauce gets its creaminess from protein-rich cashews and tofu. So, there’s protein in each element of this dish. If you don’t want to use cashews for the sauce, you can use hemp seeds or silken tofu as another source of protein. There’s also nutritional yeast in the sauce, which adds even more protein to each helping, making each serving super satisfying and delicious.

You can serve this with some sourdough or whole grain bread for even more protein, or over lentil spaghetti or lentil pasta for an extra protein boost.

Why You’ll Love Marry Me Tofu

• super simple, 1-pan, weeknight meal
• bakes in the oven, so very little active cooking time
• tofu in creamy, smoky, marry me cream sauce
• high protein dinner
• easy gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options

Ingredients

• tofu – Use firm or extra firm tofu, and press it for at least 15 minutes, then slice it into around 12 pieces. For a soy-free version, you can use cooked lasagna sheets instead of the tofu. You will be adding more tofu to the sauce and use it to make the filling. You can replace this tofu, as well, if needed. When omitting the tofu in the filling, replace it with more vegan cheese or chickpea flour tofu. When you omit the tofu in the sauce, add 1 more tablespoon of cashews for extra creaminess.
• cashews – To make the sauce creamy. Make sure to soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them. For nut-free, use hemp seeds instead.
• pasta sauce – Use a good pasta or marinara sauce. You can make your own or use jarred sauce. Make sure jarred sauce does not contain butter, cheese, or other dairy ingredients.
• salt and seasonings – For the smoky marry me tofu sauce, you are using salt, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast. The spinach filling uses Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
• veggies – The filling uses frozen spinach and chopped sun-dried tomato. Make sure to thaw, drain, and squeeze the spinach before weighing it. You can optionally add sliced mushrooms or other thinly sliced vegetables, like bell peppers or zucchini for a more plant-forward dish.
• vegan cheese – The spinach filling uses a little vegan mozzarella, and you can optionally top the marry me tofu casserole with a little vegan parmesan. Make sure your cheese is nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
• breadcrumbs – For topping. Use gluten-free, if needed.
• olive oil – A little drizzle of oil on top of the marry me tofu bake helps the breadcrumbs get nice and crispy.

How to Make Marry Me Tofu Casserole

Press and slice the tofu if you haven’t already. The tofu for the sauce and spinach filling don’t need to be pressed. Just slice and set aside. Slice up your vegetables or mushrooms, if using, and set them aside.

To make the creamy sauce, add all sauce ingredients to a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend for 1 minute, let sit for 2–3 minutes, then blend again for 30 seconds until, repeating until creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of water at a time and blend again. Set aside.

To make the filling, add the spinach to a bowl and crumble the tofu into it.

Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well, pressing slightly to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). In an 8×10” or similar-sized baking dish, spread some of the creamy pasta sauce at the bottom using a spatula. Layer in some vegetables, if using.

Add a layer of tofu slices, spacing them about 1/2”, so the the filling can get between the tofu slices. Top with the spinach ricotta mixture.

Then, add another layer of creamy sauce, followed by more mushrooms or vegetables, and another tofu layer.

Top with more spinach ricotta mixture topped with dollops of any remaining sauce. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you make get 1, 2, or 3 layers of the tofu, so do one more layer of sauce, tofu, and spinach ricotta mixture, if you have more.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the last spinach ricotta layer along with some black pepper, red pepper flakes, if you like, and the optional vegan parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, place a piece of parchment paper over the dish, so the top doesn’t get overly golden or dry out.

Remove the pan from the oven, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Then, slice and serve this hot and delicious marry me tofu as is or garnished with fresh basil.

Serve with toasted sourdough, over pasta, or however you like.

What to Serve with Marry Me Tofu

Serve this hot, delicious marry me tofu as is or garnished with fresh basil, and serve with toasted sourdough, over pasta, or however you like.