Tofu mac and cheese is an easy keto vegetarian side dish. Small strips of tofu are baked in a low carb creamy, cheesy sauce. Serve as a side dish or enjoy a bowl of cheesy comfort food.
When cooking with tofu you may not think of tofu cheese recipes, but this low carb recipe feels like a natural combination. An added bonus is that it's also a great protein dish too and has 14g protein per serving.
My husband will not eat tofu unless it’s fried thoroughly so I expected complaints to the kitchen when I served this tofu mac and cheese as a side dish. To my surprise, he enjoyed it and wanted more. To me, this is my benchmark of this dish. If he likes it, I could happily serve it to my friends without raised eyebrows!
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Cauliflower Substitute
Another low carb vegetarian version of mac and cheese recipes use cauliflower in place of the macaroni. However great they taste they are still cauliflower cheese. Let’s be honest with ourselves! A great cheese sauce goes with anything!
Ingredients
A few vegetarian tofu mac and cheese recipes use silken tofu to make the sauce. In this keto recipe I use firm tofu in place of the macaroni. The texture of the sliced tofu replaces the soft pasta. If I’m eating a keto version of mac and cheese I want something that looks like macaroni on my fork!
All you need to make this delicious keto vegetarian dish is:
- Tofu - The firmer the better as the "macaroni" shaped need to hold. Extra firm tofu or firm tofu is preferable.
- Butter - Unsalted and grass fed if you can purchase it.
- Cream Cheese - Helps with the creaminess of the sauce
- Cream - Heavy thick cream.
- Cheddar Cheese - The staple of any cheese sauce.
- Dijon Mustard - essential for any cheese sauce in my books!
How to make tofu mac and cheese
To make this recipe is simple.
- Chop the firm tofu into "macaroni" shapes.
- Make the cheese sauce.
- Cover the tofu and bake for 30 minutes.
Slice the firm tofu into "macaroni shapes"
Place the slice tofu into a baking dish
Pour the keto cheese sauce over the tofu.
Bake and sprinkle with chopped chives or herbs.
What to serve with tofu mac and cheese
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Tofu Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz tofu firm
Cheese Sauce
- 3 oz butter
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cream heavy cream
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Tofu
- Remove the tofu from the packaging and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Cut into 1cm slices, then cut into strips and halve the strips.
Make the Cheese Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, place the butter, cream cheese and cream on a medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until you have a sauce (with the occasionally stir).
- Add the garlic powder, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and 1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese.
- Stir until the Cheddar cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
- Place the tofu “macaroni” in a baking dish.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the tofu and scatter the remaining grated Cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with chopped chives or parsley on top.
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
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