This tofu panini is pressed with the unlikely addition of bacon. Served with a spinach sundried tomato pesto it’s absolutely delicious even if it’s not vegetarian.
Just saying that feels wrong. Very, very wrong. I kept looking over my shoulder while making this thinking the tofu police were about to pop out of the corner of my house for breaking the tofu code of conduct or something. “Thou shall not mix tofu with bacon.” Ok, that’s in the form of a commandment, but whatever. It felt wrong and dangerous. I kinda liked it.
I’m sure this combination makes vegetarians everywhere squirm, but let me tell the rest of you omnivore, bacon loving peeps out there something. This is a combination to die for. Seriously.
If paninis make normal sandwiches better and bacon makes everything better, this combo is like winning the friggin lottery.
Balsamic vinaigrette marinated tofu & peppers and a spinach sundried tomato pesto might also have a little something to do with it.
We had the rest of the tofu for dinner and all I did was mock fry it in olive oil. It was a sad, sad comparison to this lunch. Lucky for Ulysses, he didn’t know any better.
If this is wrong, I’m so over being right. I’ll take my chances with the tofu police.
Tofu Bacon Panini
Ingredients
- 2 slices wheat bread
- 2 slices bacon
- 3 thin slices of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1/4 orange pepper, sliced
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- 3 sundried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon hummus
- 3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil & balsamic vinegar in a shallow bowl. Season tofu slices with salt & pepper and set in marinade. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, flipping once.
- While tofu marinates, combine spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, hummus, remaining olive oil (1 1/2 tablespoons) and salt & pepper to taste in a food processor. Pulse until a pesto consistency forms.
- Transfer tofu to a hot panini press and grill for about 7-10 minutes, flipping once.
- While tofu cooks, heat a small pan over medium high heat and cook bacon until crispy. Set aside.
- Remove bacon grease from pan, saute pepper slices with the balsamic vinaigrette marinade from tofu for about 5 minutes until peppers are just charred.
- Removed tofu from grill and assemble sandwich. Spread pesto on both pieces of bread, place tofu on one slice, then peppers, then bacon. Top with other slice of bread and press in the panini maker for about 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Yum. I don’t nearly use my panini press enough.
I heart you so hard, Gina.
This is SO somethign I would do. Tofu + bacon sounds good to me. And I may just have to do this sometime soon.
Ive never even had tofu bacon b/c I don’t like real bacon and I bet it’s pretty close. Pretty sammie and saw your hot chocolate on the food sites yesterday…congrats :)
It’s real bacon! I’m not a fan of the fake stuff so I combined the real thing with tofu. haha
This looks delicious – I’m going to try this marinade for tofu next time I make it. I can never get my tofu to turn out right – maybe it’s because I do eat so much bacon and thus the veggie gods are spiting me.
haha This sandwich looks delicious. Maybe I’ll attempt it with some tempeh bacon…you know, to avoid the tofu police. ;)
Don’t worry, I won’t tell the tofu police:) This may be just the recipe I need to convince my boyfriend that tofu can be delicious.
OMG this looks awesome! I found lunch :)
I am still very scared of tofu! But this looks yummy!
I’m thinking veggie bacon would be a safe substitute! Loving the flavor combinations.