Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole
Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole
I’ve been absent the last six weeks. You can send me to detention or we can just start anew. I choose the latter, which is why I decided to introduce you to a breakfast item. Starting fresh makes me think of a new day, so we have to have breakfast!
I discovered this casserole over the holidays, then I altered the recipe from its original form, so that it would have a little more umph. I still serve mine with Tabasco, but on its own, it’s damn tasty.
Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole (adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 pkg. frozen spinach (10 oz.), thawed and squeezed dry
2-4 cloves garlic
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. firm tofu (16 oz.), drained and crumbled
4 patties soy sausage, thawed if frozen and crumbled
3 cups unsweetened almond milk or other unsweetened dairy-free milk
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
6-8 slices sourdough breadHeat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and no liquid remains, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, tofu, soy sausage, 1 cup of the almond milk, mustard, dill, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well, then blend in the onion/mushroom mixture and the remaining 2 cups of almond milk. Set aside.
Tear the bread into chunks or bite-sized pieces and place in a lightly-oiled 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the spinach mixture over the bread, spreading it out evenly. Either set aside until the liquid is absorbed (30-60 minutes) or refrigerate overnight. (If refrigerating overnight, bring back to room temperature before baking.)*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly browned and puffed, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.
*I’ve tried it both ways; my preference is overnight refrigeration. If I recall, I brought it out, let it sit for about 30-45 minutes, then put it in the oven right when I turned it on, so that it pre-heated along with the oven. Perfect!
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
This sounds delicious! I don’t mean to seem critical when I write that there’s a lot of “separate” cooking involved (soy sausage, spinach). I’d probably skip cooking the spinach and only thaw and squeeze it.
How many servings would you guess?
I love making breakfast casseroles for dinner. And making something ahead to pull out the next day feels like a luxury (on the next day!).
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 am
KA, You’re absolutely right to think from my original post that there was too much pre-cooking. But really, there isn’t. I *meant* thawed (and squeezed dry) for the spinach. And the same for the sausage, if you use the frozen patties that I use. So, I edited the post to make that clearer.
The casserole is actually fairly light tasting, so I think serving larger squares is about right. I’ll guess it makes about 10-12 servings. But that’s just a guess. I never counted.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Do you blend the tofu and milk in a blender??
April 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Kelly, Nope, I just put both in a bowl and scrunch it with my hands until it’s mixed and crumbly. Then I add the other stuff and stir with a wooden spoon.
I hope this helps!
August 31st, 2010 at 10:46 am
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