Grilled Tofu Salad

Updated Oct. 10, 2023

Grilled Tofu Salad
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30
Rating
4(326)
Notes
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Perfect for simple summer grilling, this vegetarian salad makes a great weeknight meal or easy-to-transport picnic fare. Grilled tofu and zucchini pick up smoky notes and light char from the grill in just 10 minutes. They’re dressed in a rich and tangy lemon-miso vinaigrette that does double duty as basting sauce and dressing. The grilled salad is brightened by a final shower of fragrant herbs, plus a raw snap pea topping that adds fresh, crisp bites. Leftovers turn into a fantastic pasta salad the next day; simply toss with cooked short pasta and finish with more olive oil and grated Parmesan. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Neutral oil, for greasing grates
  • 2tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2tablespoons white miso
  • 1teaspoon minced garlic
  • 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 4slices sourdough or country bread
  • 1pound firm tofu, drained, patted dry and sliced crosswise into 4 (1-inch-thick) slices
  • 1pound (2 medium) zucchini, quartered lengthwise
  • 4ounces snap peas, thinly sliced on the bias (1 ¼ packed cups)
  • ½cup mixed chopped herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives and scallions)
  • Parmesan (optional), for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

530 calories; 37 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 778 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat grill to medium and grease grates with neutral oil. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, miso, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk, mashing the miso until it dissolves. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of the olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season tofu and zucchini with salt and pepper, then brush ¼ cup of the lemon-miso dressing evenly all over both. Grill, turning occasionally, until bread is toasted, tofu is nicely charred and zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes for the bread and 8 minutes for the tofu and zucchini.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the tofu and zucchini to a cutting board; slice the tofu crosswise 1-inch-thick and chop the zucchini into 1-inch pieces.

  4. Step 4

    Arrange the grilled tofu and zucchini on a large serving platter and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Add snap peas and herbs to the remaining dressing and toss to evenly coat. Scatter the mixture all over the salad and shave some cheese on top, if using. Serve with grilled bread on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
326 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Delicious!!!! The lemon brings a brightness and flavor punch to the miso. Didn't grill, instead baked the tofu and zucchini at 400 to get a crispy coating. Be sure to have dressing left for the final salad assemblage. Good return for the easy effort.

I eat tofu at least 4 days a week and ALWAYS press it!!! Even the extra firm has some liquid in it. Just my 2 cents!

Works with grill pan or under broiler

Made this for Father's Day for my vegetarian dad. I used extra firm tofu; I didn't press it; it was still delicious. You will be ok if you don't press it :)

Very good we thought! Added basil because we had it. Used a little Cojito cheese for the same reason. Used left over grilled tofu and a little left over grilled salmon because it’s what was available. Seems that the basic recipe is good enough to handle what’s left and turn it it into a very nice dish.

Thought it was delicious and don’t think I would change a thing!

Cooked it as written just to see what I would change - this was truly excellent as is. Better than the sum of its parts. Will put in regular summer rotation.

This was so delicious and simple. Made exactly as instructed.

Even though mine didn't look like the photo (my cooking never does), this was very flavorful. I didn't have snap peas, so grilled green beans along with the zucchini and tofu. It worked well.

Made this recipe with broccolini and green beans instead of zucchini and snap peas -- and I don't have a grill, so I broiled the tofu and veggies in the oven, side by side on the same baking sheet (turning everything over and brushing with dressing midway through). My mix of fresh herbs was parsley, basil, rosemary and a touch of mint, cuz that's what I had. Everything was absolutely DELICIOUS.That dressing is the bomb.

No need to press the tofu first?

This was very nice. We don’t need the carbs so I served over baby spinach instead of bread. Would have liked a little more pop, like add a bit of minced preserved lemon or lime to the dressing at the end (not the portion being cooked). We would do this again.

We laughed as we gathered the ingredients, because this is definitely one of the stranger combinations we've seen at this site. But it's absolutely fabulous and wouldn't change a thing. We did skip the parmesan but will try it next time!

Broiled the squash and tofu,used dill, scallions and parsley. Fabulous!

I made this in a frying pan and it turned out great. What I love about recipes like this is they give me ideas about adding more / different vegetables. This helps me cook more veg and thus eat more veg. Yay! Hetty's book is on my Christmas list.

Super delicious and bright! I just roasted the zucchini and tofu in the oven for about 20 minutes with some broiling at the end instead of grilling.

Used quinoa instead of bread

This was super tasty. I subbed kabocha for zucchini and roasted green beans instead of snap pea. Feta instead of parmesan, added sunflower seeds at the end, and green olives. Used dark miso instead, didn't notice a difference in quality of dressing and I prefer dark miso over white. Added spinach greens to make it feel like a full salad. Oh, and I didn't have a grill but I prepared my tofu roasted with corn starch, soy sauce, garlic & onion powder baked for 40 min @450 (high altitude 4800 ft).

We're adventurous vegan cooks but this one didn't quite rise to being good or putting it in rotation. Might have been the herbs we had on hand: parsley, dill, a little mint, scallions.

We slightly fried up the chopped cilantro and peas in a cast iron and blended all together with the grilled items. Makes the cilantro flavor explode, so good! My partner ate his brains out. Grilled a rosemary focaccia on the side . Used an extra firm tofu and pressed for 15 minutes. Added yellow squash as well!Next time will add toasted pine nuts.

Loved the dressing!! Will be making it more for a variety of meals! I made the dressing as written but slightly less olive oil. Didn’t have zucchini or snap peas. what I did have on hand was some cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, a little bit of fresh dill and Italian flat leaf parsley. The whole meal was so delicious and refreshing. Cooked the tofu on a grill pan and it was fine but my smoke alarm went off.

I don't have a grill, but a George Forman grill would work well here.

Really good, but I found that it only served three of us with no leftovers. So, unless you're making this as a side dish, if it's your main meal you probably will need to more than 1x the recipe to get to the 4 full servings it lists. I would also increase the peas amount, but that's just a personal preference because I really like them. I went a bit heavier on the lemon juice simply because the lemons I pressed had more juice than the recipe called for, and then I just cut back on the water.

This sauce is amazing. Suggest serving the couscous instead of bread. Sauce could make anything taste better!

Really great. I only had red miso and it worked just fine.

Made this tonight . Very easy. Grill times perfect . I toss with scallions and parsley . I did not use cheese and I don’t think it needed any. Look forward to trying with pasta . Did not need bread either but could have been good

If you don't want to grill. I pan fried flavors hodo tofu and zoodled the zucchini! Delicious

Very successful and enjoyed by all in dinner party. Marinated the tofu in the dressing for an hour before grilling.

Re: the question of pressing. Rather than press, I drain, pat dry then dust v lightly with arrowroot powder (& a little salt and pepper). This seems to absorb the extra liquid and encourages a crispy coating. Once cooked, the tofu develops a crispy/chewy outer crust with moist and tender inside….a consistency akin to frying, but without oily residue.

I made this in a frying pan and it turned out great. What I love about recipes like this is they give me ideas about adding more / different vegetables. This helps me cook more veg and thus eat more veg. Yay! Hetty's book is on my Christmas list.

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