Tofu Panzanella Salad

It seems I can’t go to the store or farmer’s market without buying way too many tomatoes. Good thing they’re good on and with just about everything. My favorite way to consume tons of tomatoes? Probably on a sandwich with a swipe of mayonnaise. Incredible. I love them on their own too, with a bit of salt and pepper. And of course, I love them in every salad ever because they’re never not welcomed, especially during the summer months of August and September.

This salad is a tofu twist on an Italian classic: the panzanella. Bon Appétit asked me to create a recipe highlighting tofu to compliment Aveeno’s Positively Radiant Collection. If you flip to the back of September’s issue of Bon Appetit, there’s a lil’ link highlighting this recipe. If you’re interested in getting a free sample of the products in the mail, click here.

The tofu is super firm and dipped in a bit of panko bread crumbs. I pan fried the cubes to mimic the bread that would typically be in a panzanella. I think it’s kind of a cool replacement! It’s crunchy and flavorful and it goes really well with the rest of the ingredients.

The tomatoes and thinly sliced fennel are tossed in an anchovy dressing that’s earthy and savory and just delicious. The arugula is sort of arranged the whole dish to give some more freshness. It’s a super simple salad that’s perfect for serving a large amount of people. I hope you make it! I hope you like it!

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Print Recipe

Tofu Panzanella Salad

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 anchovy filet
• 1 garlic clove peeled
• Juice from 1/2 lemon + zest
• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves packed
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Tofu and Salad:

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• Salt
• 1 large egg
• Vegetable oil or olive oil
• 3 ounces tofu cubed
• 3 to 4 heirloom tomatoes quartered
• 1/2 head of fennel shaved or thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup packed arugula

Instructions

• To a food processor or blender, add all of the dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to loosen. Salt to taste and set aside.
• In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of salt. In another small bowl, crack the egg and beat. To a medium sauté pan, set over medium­ high heat, add three tablespoons of oil. Drop the cubes of tofu, in batches, into the beaten egg first and then transfer them to the panko bread crumbs—make sure all sides of tofu are coated. Doing this in batches, place the tofu cubes in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all four sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the tofu to a paper towel to dry. Repeat with the remaining tofu cubes.
• To a large serving bowl or plate, arrange the tomatoes, fennel and arugula. Pour in the dressing and toss until everything is thoroughly coated. Arrange the cubes of crispy tofu on top and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g

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To a food processor or blender, add all of the dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to loosen. Salt to taste and set aside. In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of salt. In another small bowl, crack the egg and beat. To a medium sauté pan, set over medium­ high heat, add three tablespoons of oil. Drop the cubes of tofu, in batches, into the beaten egg first and then transfer them to the panko bread crumbs—make sure all sides of tofu are coated. Doing this in batches, place the tofu cubes in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all four sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the tofu to a paper towel to dry. Repeat with the remaining tofu cubes. To a large serving bowl or plate, arrange the tomatoes, fennel and arugula. Pour in the dressing and toss until everything is thoroughly coated. Arrange the cubes of crispy tofu on top and serve.

(This post is sponsored by Bon Appétit. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)