Recipe submitted by Stephen Davidson

This super-easy casserole is a perfect healthy dish to feed an army. If you’ve got kids who need to get some veggies in them, a nice crunchy topping can go a long way. It would also be a perfect veggie option for a big Thanksgiving or Christmas or Celebration-type dinner, when there’s lots of mouths. Or make it all for yourself and have leftovers for lunch! Mmmmmm, leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 package firm tofu
• 200g/3 generous cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 head cauliflower
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large potato, or handful small
• 1/2 butternut squash, or 1 small
• 5 medium sized white onions
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• generous helping of freshly ground pepper
• drizzle of olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180/350.
2. Slice the onions and roughly chop all of the other veggies. The squash can be peeled with a veggie peeler, and don’t forget to scoop the seeds.
3. Mix all of the veggies with the turmeric, chili powder, cumin and a pinch of salt and spread in a large pyrex baking dish.
4. Drain the tofu and crumble by hand into the bread crumbs.
5. Add a generous amount of fresh ground pepper and salt to taste, then mix by hand until combined.
6. Crumble on top of the veggies, and drizzle on some olive oil to help it crisp up on top.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until top is golden brown and veggies are cooked.
8. Makes 6 big servings, or many sides.

Additional Notes

The toppings may look a little unconventional, but the tofu in it crisps up nicely on the top and stays soft on the bottom. The salt and pepper and oil combination reminds me a bit of the crispy fried tofu that my local chinese did in Vancouver. It might even be nice with some garlic rubbed in- though I’d change the spices inside in that case. It’s a very flexible recipe though, so do just throw in whatever you think will be nice!

I’d recommend making your own bread crumbs for this- store-bought ones can be a bit powdery and dry, especially the gluten-free type. Just take a few pieces of leftover bread and whizz it in a food processor. If you don’t have one, rip/crumble with your fingers (or if your bread is hard, there’s always the option of toasting it, putting it in a bag and whacking it with a rolling pin).

Please Subscribe to my YouTube channel