This delicious, one-pot dish includes seasoned tofu and red potatoes cooked into the most incredible sauce made of fresh tomatoes and eggplant! With all the right seasonings and ingredients, I’ve made a vegan version of a classic Spanish-style masterpiece.
I like tasting all the different flavors of the world, but unfortunately, as a vegan, that usually takes a few alterations. Lucky for me, I enjoy the challenge of making vegan food from not-so-vegan recipes and cuisines.
As I’ve said many times, I was inspired by this recipe after seeing a non-vegan recipe on Flipboard. That recipe included chicken, Russet potatoes, poultry seasoning rather than Spanish spices, and it did not include the tofu, spinach, or the butter beans I’ve added into my creation.
If it’s this different, how did it inspire me? Oh my goodness, that sauce! It just looked so good… mmm … and do I love how mine turned out. Rather than follow the omnivorous recipe, but swap out the chicken, I decided to do more research of other similar, Spanish recipes, and come up with more alterations.
I saw a couple of recipes which included beans. They looked so good in the sauce. I hadn’t had butter beans much as an adult, because I didn’t care for them as a kid, but suddenly I was craving some! And the spinach, that’s a must, I always need and love greens, and will always add them to a dish when I can.
To make this, first I start the sauce. I sauté the tomatoes and eggplant in olive oil with onions and garlic. These ingredients I simmer for a while until the tomatoes are completely broken down and everything is soupy. Next, I transfer it into a blender where it becomes a sauce. I keep mine chunky because that to me is the most delicious way to do it. Recipes I’ve seen, however, have the sauce completely pureéd. I encourage you to make the sauce the consistency of which you prefer.
Other than leaving my sauce chunky, I do make one other change from the more traditional recipes. I only use a drizzle of oil, but some use a lot of oil! I myself didn’t want a super oily dish. I also know, many vegans follow low-fat diets, so I didn’t want copious amounts of oil for that reason as well.
After I make my sauce, the next step is to season and brown the tofu and then the potatoes. For the seasonings, I used a combo of Spanish spices which include; paprika, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and black pepper.
When the potatoes have browned, I add the sauce back to the skillet, cover it with a lid and leave it at a simmer for 15 minutes. Next, I add the tofu, spinach, beans, and fresh thyme. These ingredients I continue to simmer until the potatoes are soft. I sprinkle it all with Italian parsley right before serving.
A Spanish dish like this is usually served with crusty bread to dip in the sauce. Because I make the food around here gluten-free, and a lot of the time grain-free as well, I like to make socca (A.K.A. farinata — originally from Italy and popular in France) to accompany this dish. In addition to fresh rosemary and caramelized onions, in my socca, I like to include fresh basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. So long as you use the appropriate portions of water, chickpea flour, and oil, you can include whichever flavors you prefer. If, of course, you choose to make some as well. I always give the kids sourdough. Socca, as well as sourdough, are both delicious additions to this incredible dish!
Are you familiar with traditional Spanish food? Let me know how my dish compares. Or perhaps you aren’t at all but made this anyways and enjoyed it. Please let me know! Leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Spanish-Inspired Tofu & Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 lbs tomatoes, cut in half (about 5 – 6 large) I used vine-ripened tomatoes
- 3 cups eggplant, peeled and diced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 blocks extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 1/2 lbs baby red potatoes, halved or regular sized red potatoes cut into quarters
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
- 3 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 cups cooked butter beans canned are fine so long as they are drained and rinsed
- large handful fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
For my Spanish spice blend…
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and once hot add the onion slices and smashed garlic cloves.
- Once onions are translucent, squeeze or scoop the guts of each tomato half into the skillet. Add the eggplant.
- Once the eggplant is soft, add the remaining tomato parts into the skillet. Sauté until everything is soft and soupy.
- Add the sauce into your blender along with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Start the blender on it’s lowest setting and gradually raise the speed until the sauce is at your preferred consistency. I like to keep mine chunky, but if you prefer a pureéd sauce, go ahead and start the blender at max speed.
- Mix together all of the spice blend ingredients. Cut each block of tofu into four equal-sized pieces and sprinkle each side with the spice blend (you won’t use it all).
- Wipe your skillet clean, turn the heat back up to medium, and drizzle the skillet with more oil. When the oil is hot, add the tofu pieces and cook them for 2 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove the tofu from the skillet.
- In a mixing bowl, and the potato halves (or quarters if using larger potatoes), 1 teaspoon of oil, and 1 teaspoon of the spice blend. Toss until the potatoes are coated well.
- Brown the potatoes in the skillet by cooking them on medium for 3 – 4 minutes on each side.
- Return the sauce to the skillet with the potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the skillet, and let the potatoes simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and stir in the tofu, beans, and spinach. Replace the lid and let everything simmer for another *10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
I like the texture of this dish, and the way it turned out visually. However, I was surprised by the mild flavor profile, which suggests to me the need to boost the amount of Spanish smoked paprika and perhaps add a touch of cayenne. My version was probably hampered by winter tomatoes, which lack the rich flavor of really ripe summer tomatoes. Very impressed by the sheer amount of food this recipe produced. We’ll be eating it for a week or more. Definitely recommend.
Hi Guy!
Thank you for your feedback! I’m also surprised yours was mild in flavor but agree it may be due to the time of year. Cayenne would definitely kick this up a notch, especially for those (myself included) who enjoy a little bite! Thanks again for your comment, I’m glad you enjoyed my recipe.
Tiffani