Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1(14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and patted dry
- 1(15½-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 3garlic cloves
- 2lemons
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½tablespoons za’atar dry spice mix (see Tip)
- 1teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
- ½cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼cup tahini
- 1tablespoon honey
- 1(8-ounce) bag leafy greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale or mixed greens
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
693 calories; 47 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 1077 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tofu into ½-inch-thick slices and place them on a kitchen or paper towel to dry out.
- Step 2
Combine the chickpeas and tomatoes on a half-sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to season.
- Step 3
Using a Microplane or other fine grater, grate the garlic cloves and zest 1 lemon into a large bowl. Squeeze ¼ cup juice from the lemon (using the second lemon if needed) and reserve. Add the oil, za’atar, oregano and ¼ cup chopped parsley to the garlic mixture and stir to combine. Pour half of the marinade over the chickpeas and tomatoes, toss to combine and spread in an even layer. Roast until the tomatoes are just beginning to burst open and the chickpeas are warmed through, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, add the soy sauce to the remaining marinade and stir. Add the tofu slices to the bowl and carefully turn each piece to coat both sides. Allow the tofu to marinate while the chickpea mixture cooks, then nestle the tofu slices, topped with any leftover marinade in the bowl, among the chickpeas and tomatoes on the sheet pan.
- Step 5
Roast until the tofu begins to brown around the edges and top, the tomatoes have burst open releasing their juices and the chickpeas are golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes.
- Step 6
While the tofu roasts, whisk together the tahini, honey, reserved lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Step 7
Divide the leafy greens among 4 bowls. Dress the tofu, chickpeas and tomatoes on the baking sheet with 4 tablespoons of the tahini mixture and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup parsley. Divide evenly among the bowls and spoon additional dressing all over everything.
Tip
- Za’atar, the classic Middle Eastern seasoning, is a mix of savory dried herbs, sumac and sesame seeds. It can be purchased as a pre-made blend or made at home.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Lisa Z.
Nice weeknight meal.Added more tomatoes. Prepped in advance: marinated both the chickpea/tomato blend and sliced tofu all day. Dinner was ready in 35 minutes! Tahini dressing a bit flat-I added little cayenne and half clove grated garlic along with hefty pinch salt and some pepper. @James W:Roast Chickpea/tomato for 15 min, then add Tofu to sheet pan and roast for another 15 min.
jjs
Why does the recipe call for two lemons when the marinade only uses the zest of one (no juice as far as I can tell) and 1/4 c juice from the zested lemon for the tahini sauce? Could not figure out where the second lemon was supposed to be used.
Nancy J.
The full 1/4 c of lemon juice goes into the tahini sauce in step 6. Only the zest goes into the marinade. The only reason you need 2 lemons is in case you can't get 1/4 c of juice from 1 lemon, which happens sometimes.
Val B
Adding all of the marinade to the sheet pan when you add the tofu makes for way too much oil. Instead, reserve the remaining half of the marinade; stir in the honey (or maple syrup), lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, instead of the tahini. Thin it with a bit of water if you need to. This becomes your dressing. Delicious! Round out the bowl with steamed farro and sliced zucchini roasted alongside the tofu.
Delicious
I was confused about the 1/4 a cup of lemon and decided to add to both tomatoes and tahini sauce. Instead of letting the tofu in the oven I air fried it and it was delicious and crispy.
Katie
This recipe is easy and delicious! I’d just recommend adding a little garlic to the lemon tahini dressing. I also added spinach and a little oil to the pan 5 minutes before it was done, instead of entirely raw greens, and served with some Spanish rice
R
For a vegan alternative for the honey, one might try agave or maple syrup.
Denise Parker
Homerun! The za'atar mixes beautifully with the sweet roasted tomatoes and crunchy chickpeas. I love the tahini/honey sauce. There were lots of leftovers of the sauce and it will be good with any roasted veggies or crackers. I'm excited about making this again. It's a forgiving recipe too, not too precise. I can see it with firm tofu, extra firm, super firm, more lemon, served with good feta...lots of options.
Lynne F.
Loved this, but next time I will plate it on rice to soak up the lovely juices!
Melissa
The roasted veggies and tofu and the marinade were delicious but serving them on top of salad greens did not work at all for me. I served the leftovers on top of farro (as another commenter suggested), which was great, and will add a green veggie next time.
Nancy J.
Yes, some za'atars have mostly thyme and are not good at all. I always have luck with Teeny Tiny Spice Company blends.
David
Tofu did not get crispy in 15 minutes. Consider adding it all at the beginning.
Nancy J.
I'm not sure but maybe just in case the lemons aren't juicy enough to get 1/4 c.
Expat in Abu Dhabi
A delicious, vegetarian meal. Due to a last minute change in schedule, prepped ingredients rested in the fridge overnight. Other than that, recipe was followed as written. The tomatoes are amazing here! Even our teenage tofu-resistant vegetarian gave it a thumbs up!
Carson C
I will say this is a delicious and easy recipe. We keep coming back to it. But as written it's a little overly complicated. Press, drain and cube the tofu. Toss it in the soy sauce only. Then toss everything together in the marinade (cut the olive oil in half), roast together on a sheet pan (I cook mine in a wok outside) and cook until it looks good. Serve over greens and dress. Also yeah you only need one lemon. Why say two when the second one is just backup lol?
Nini
A real keeper. I made this according to the recipe ahead of time. Put spinach with a little oil in the oven to heat up and served it with couscous, but rice would also work well. The tahini sauce was great. All in all, delicious and a definite veggie recipe.
Carol Gray
A delicious combination. However, as others commented, way too much oil. Next time I'll use 1/4 C or even less rather than 1/2 cup olive oil.
Sharon
I made this exactly as written, other than I only had half the tomatoes on hand. It was beautiful looking, but for some reason the flavors were not strong enough. The marinade tasted great, but the flavor wasn't strong on the tofu. I will try again, and play around more with the salt.
Jess K
This was really good. The amount of olive seemed a bit too much, and I’ve been to Greek villages! They laugh at our little American drizzles of oil. Otherwise, will plan on making again. A lot of good plant protein and very satisfying.
Lincoln
We used Lisa’s recommendation for overnight marinading the tofu, tomatoes& chick peas. It was out standing. We added minced garlic, used a datil pepper hot honey in the dressing additional s&p. We also did sautéed Cajun shrimp and this is a definite repeat.
Tracey P
Adding chili crisp to top takes it to the next level if you like spice.
Aliska
I now understand why this recipe has 5 stars - it pops. Didn't read the recipe sufficiently carefully and accidentally put the lemon juice in the marinade, but it worked. Incorporated several pieces of advice from the comments (thank you) and would recommend: (a) roasted the tofu separately from the chickpeas and tomatoes to help it crisp, (b) added garlic to the tahini sauce, and (c) served with sweet potatoes. This recipe is a winner and I will definitely make it again.
Scott
Discovered I was out of Za’atar, so used Herbes de Provence, and it was very tasty.
Scott
This was a lovely dish, with one caveat: it is vastly better being made the day before serving, and resting in its marinade overnight.
Kim
Made this 6/26/2024 - pretty easy and really enjoyed. We made over rice.
Laurel A
I added za’atar to the tahini sauce and served with quinoa to make more filling. Alternatively, I might double the amount of chick peas next time to serve with the greens.
DAP
Made it as written but had to adjust the tahini sauce as it wasn’t popping for me. I added lemon zest and smoked paprika. We ate it over spinach and served with pita to soak up the marinade. I’ll make it again and sprinkle fresh mint over it all.
sherip
Delicious. Recommend adding red onions to the roasting with the tomatoes and chickpeas. And for my taste, tahini sauce doesn’t honey, just maybe some salt & garlic
Moira in Altadena
I doubled the tomatos and when most of them burst it watered down the seasoning a bit. I cubed the tofu. Tripled the spinach and tossed it while everything was hot so it wilted, which I prefer. Hubby gave it five stars, but I give it four.
ashley
6/7/24 Have made before. I follow the recipe pretty strictly. It' tasty and yummy. But probs not for company meal. Save for us. 8.5/10
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