What to Cook With Tofu and Vegetables
By SupperScout Editorial Team · Updated October 7, 2026
Tofu has a PR problem it doesn't deserve. Bad tofu is under-seasoned and under-crisped — fix those two things and it's a genuinely good dinner: cheap, protein-rich, and ready in 25 minutes. Here's the method.
The press-and-sear method
Press firm or extra-firm tofu 15 minutes (a plate + a can works), cube it, dust lightly with cornstarch, and sear hard in a hot oiled pan without touching it for 3–4 minutes per side. The cornstarch is the crisp secret — it forms a golden crust that sauce clings to. Then add your vegetables to the same pan.
Sauce directions
Tofu is a sauce delivery system — pick one and commit: soy-ginger (soy, garlic, ginger, sesame oil), peanut (peanut butter thinned with soy and lime), or sweet chili straight from the bottle. Add the sauce at the end and toss — if it goes in too early, the crisp crust steams off.
Which tofu?
Extra-firm for searing and stir-fry — it holds its shape. Firm works for stir-fries too. Silken is for soup and smoothies, not this page — it will disintegrate in a hot pan and that's nobody's fault but the recipe's.
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