Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites
We’re snacky people. Always have been. So we’re always looking for new things to turn into snackables. This is our attempt at making tofu into a snack, and we gotta say…we think it turned out pretty great! We’ve been known to eat and cook with a lot of pepper, and our love of good cheese knows no bounds. We’re also always on the lookout for new ways to eat more plant-based proteins like tofu. Enter: Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites
These little bites are crispy, cheesy, peppery, and full of flavor!.
To make these, we’ve taken cubes of tofu and coated them in Pecorino Romano cheese, bread crumbs, and loads of black pepper, which you can never have too much of, in our opinion. The trick to getting the cheesy breading to stick to each bite is to first dip them in beaten eggs mixed with cornstarch, then dunk them in the cheesy mixture. These little bites of cheesy peppery goodness get baked, flipped, and baked again to maximize their crispy outsides.
They’re a great high-protein, vegetarian snack that even people who claim not to like tofu will love. They’re also impossible to stop eating (we left ours in the kitchen and couldn’t avoid grabbing one every time we walked by!).
What is Tofu?
Tofu is a low-fat, high-protein soy product that is a popular meat substitute. Tofu is also full of other nutrients, like calcium, manganese, and iron, so it’s an excellent ingredient to add to your diet. Often referred to as “bean curd,” tofu can be used in many different dishes. It’s mild in taste and texture, and it absorbs flavors–like spices, marinades, and sauces–fairly easily.
If you’re looking for ways to reduce the animal products in your diet and spend less money on groceries, tofu is also a very cheap protein option. In our area, a 14 ounce block of firm tofu costs less than $2.
Cooking Tofu
Tofu is usually found in blocks and stored in water. Depending on the firmness of the tofu you have, it can be necessary to press out the excess water. We like to drain the tofu and remove the block from the container. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and place the tofu onto a flat surface or cutting board. We recommend placing another cutting board on top of the tofu and then putting something heavy on top of that, like a frying pan. The cutting board on top helps to distribute the weight of whatever you’re using to press the tofu.
If you’re using soft or silken tofu, we don’t recommend pressing it. It’s too soft to stand up to that process. Instead, you can enjoy the tofu as is with a sauce over it, or add it to soups (we’ve used it in our Easy Miso Soup with Veggies & Tofu).
For all tofu that isn’t silken or soft, once you’ve pressed it, you can slice it into “steaks,” strips, or cut it into cubes. Tofu is great fried (shallow or deep), baked, steamed, grilled, and scrambled, making it a super versatile option.
Ingredients for Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites
We love that tofu takes on the flavors of whatever it’s cooked with, so using bold flavors is key. You can keep it totally plant based or coat it in cheese, like we’ve done here.
To make these Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Tofu – we suggest using firm tofu in this recipe for optimum texture.
- Eggs – beaten eggs form part of the dipping mixture that first coats the tofu.
- Cornstarch – mixing cornstarch with the eggs makes it thicker, allowing it to stick to the tofu better.
- Breadcrumbs – we like using fine breadcrumbs instead of panko in the dredge. If you want to use panko, we suggest pulsing it a few times in a food processor first.
- Pecorino Romano cheese – a key ingredient in cacio e pepe, grated Pecorino Romano cheese gives the dredge a salty, earthy flavor.
- Pepper – cacio e pepe uses a lot of freshly cracked black pepper, This recipe calls for a full tablespoon. Be sure not to skimp.
- Salt – this recipe calls for some salt in the egg mixture and some in the dredge. Depending on how thick you cut your tofu and how salty your cheese is, you may also decide to salt the tofu lightly once it’s baked.
- Olive oil spray – this tofu is baked, not fried. Spraying the baking sheet with olive oil spray first and then spraying the tops of the breaded tofu cubes helps to make it crispy when baking.
How to Make These Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites
To make the tofu bites, first preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wrap the tofu block in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and place on a flat surface, like a cutting board. Place another cutting board on top of the wrapped tofu and place something moderately heavy on top of that, leaving it undisturbed for about 20 minutes. The weight of the item(s) on top of the tofu will help press any excess water out.
Cut the tofu block into cubes. We like to do this by first cutting it in half widthwise and lengthwise. Then, we cut inch-wide strips and cut those strips into smaller rectangles.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs and the cornstarch until fully combined. The mixture should be fairly smooth but it’s okay if there are some smaller clumps of cornstarch. Season the mixture with a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper.
In another shallow dish, mix together the breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper, and ½ tsp sea salt.
Spray the parchment paper lined baking sheet with olive oil spray.
Dip each cube of tofu into the egg mixture and then the cheese and breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to get all sides of the tofu coated.
Arrange all the breaded tofu cubes onto the sprayed parchment lined sheet, Spray the tops of the breaded tofu. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and turn each tofu cube over. Bake another 10 minutes or until golden.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or enjoy by themselves.
Cacio e Pepe Tofu Bites
Ingredients
- 14 oz firm tofu, drained
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup fine breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 tbsp + couple turns cracked black pepper, divided
- ¾ tsp sea salt, divided
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wrap the tofu block in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and place on a flat surface, like a cutting board.14 oz firm tofu
- Place another cutting board on top of the wrapped tofu and place something moderately heavy on top of that, leaving it undisturbed for about 20 minutes. The weight of the item(s) on top of the tofu will help press any excess water out.
- Cut the tofu block into cubes.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs and the cornstarch until fully combined. Season mixture with a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper.2 eggs, 2 tbsp cornstarch
- In another shallow dish, mix together the breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper, and ½ tsp sea salt.½ cup fine breadcrumbs, 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tbsp + couple turns cracked black pepper
- Spray the parchment paper lined baking sheet with olive oil spray.Olive oil spray
- Dip each cube of tofu into the egg mixture and then the cheese and breadcrumb mixture, making sure to get all sides of the tofu coated.
- Arrange all the breaded tofu cubes onto the sprayed parchment lined sheet, then spray the tops of the breaded tofu.Olive oil spray
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and turn each tofu cube over. Bake another 10 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or enjoy by themselves.
