Creamy Tomato Orzo with Crispy Tofu Cutlets

This dairy-free Creamy Tomato Orzo comes together in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients and can be served with some satisfying Crispy Tofu Cutlets. A tasty and healthy meal for the family.

It shouldn’t matter what day of the year it is, you deserve a comforting and lovely meal. And this Creamy Tomato Orzo is just that, but more. While it is rich in flavor, I also focused on making this meal as easy to prepare as possible because you also deserve a meal that isn’t overly complicated to prepare.

This orzo reminds me of this Toasted Garlic and Chickpea Orzo except with a focus on a more creamy orzo experience while still keeping this completely dairy-free.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tomato Orzo

• Easy to make. The tofu bakes in the oven and the orzo comes together really quickly with simple ingredients.
• Balanced and satisfying. This meal is a complete meal. The orzo is served with some protein-rich tofu that helps to compliment and make this meal a satisfying one.
• Dairy-free. Instead of regular cream there are a number of different plant-based alternatives to choose from that I mention below.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Orzo: Feel free to swap with a different short pasta shape or for gluten-free, use gluten-free orzo or pasta that you love.
• Tomatoes: I used a combination of cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Nutritional Yeast: This adds extra umami flavor to the tofu and orzo. If not a fan of nutritional yeast, use just a tablespoon of cornstarch to replace for the tofu and omit from the orzo or use a 1 tsp of yellow miso paste.
• Vegetable Broth: The taste of your orzo can be heavily impacted by the quality of your broth. When possible choose a flavorful broth you love to make sure your orzo tastes amazing.
• Dairy-free Cream: There are a number of brands that offer a vegan cream substitute, but for some classic options I use, I recommend either cashew cream, plain oat milk, cheap homemade vegan cream or canned coconut milk. You can also choose to replace the cream with equal parts vegetable broth.
• Seasonings: I used a combination of onion powder, Italian seasoning, thyme and oregano for both dishes.

How to Make Creamy Tomato Orzo and Tofu Cutlets

Preheat the oven to 425F and evenly spread the oil on the bottom of a sheet pan. Cut the tofu block into 4 thin cutlet shapes lengthwise then set aside. Add the tofu to a shallow dish and drizzle over with the soy sauce to coat.

In a separate shallow dish add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, seasonings, zest and salt then whisk to combine. Grab a tofu slice and shake off excess soy sauce then place into the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place the coated tofu onto the sheet pan and repeat with the remaining tofu slices.

Place the tofu into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip the tofu and return to the oven to finish baking for 10 minutes.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

More Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas

• Herby Rice Salad with Crispy Za’atar Chickpeas
• Easy Baked Peanut Tofu
• Crispy Black Bean Tacos
• Gochujang Potatoes and Chickpeas
• Chimichurri Corn Tacos

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★ Catherine

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