Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch
Updated Feb. 13, 2025

- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½ pounds broccoli (about 2 medium heads), cut into 1-inch florets
- 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2teaspoons soy sauce
- Salt and black pepper
- 1garlic clove, thinly sliced
- ½cup coarsely chopped cashews
- 1tablespoon chile crisp, plus more for serving if you like
- ⅓cup panko bread crumbs
- 14ounces drained silken tofu
- 1cup cashew butter
For the Broccoli
For the Cashew Cream (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the broccoli, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the soy sauce, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer, then dot with the garlic.
- Step 2
Tightly wrap the broccoli mixture with another piece of aluminum foil, sealing shut, and bake until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.
- Step 3
While the broccoli bakes, prepare the chile crisp bread crumbs: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add the cashews, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the chile crisp to the cashews, then stir in the panko and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the panko is toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Step 5
If using cashew cream, add the tofu, cashew butter and 6 tablespoons water to a small food processor; blend until fluffy. Season generously with salt and pepper, then spread it on a serving platter or shallow bowl.
- Step 6
Arrange the cooked broccoli on top, drizzle with additional chile crisp, if desired, and sprinkle generously with the chile crisp topping. Serve immediately, with any additional chile crisp crunch on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
This was amazingly good, and made for great leftovers as well. It was tasty straight from the fridge. For the cashew butter, I made my own - I put about 1 1/2 cups of roasted salted cashews in the food processor and pulverized them into a powder. Then with the motor running I added a teaspoon or two of oil, and it pretty much immediately turned from cashew crumbs to cashew butter after adding the oil. From there, I added the silken tofu, checked the salt levels and adjusted. Super easy!
Cooking the broccoli in a foil pouch does not yield crisp broccoli. The next time I make this dish, I will roast the broccoli without covering it.
Go on, live dangerously.. throw some cashews in the blender and keep your seat belt loosely fastened. What's the worst that could happen?
I just don’t know about this one, folks. I made it as written. I think the crunchy topping is the best part of the dish. As others suggested, roast the broccoli uncovered. They’re kinda limp and lose some color otherwise. I think I’m most perplexed by the whipped tofu/cashew butter. It requires a lot of salt, and I kinda felt like I was eating deconstructed cheddar and broccoli soup? I just don’t know. I appreciate the creativity, but I’m not rushing to make this again.
Thank you for the recommendations to roast the broccoli uncovered, which I did (along with a few halved fingerling potatoes), and to make the cashew butter out of cashews. Excellent. But now I'm left with a large quantity of leftover cashew cream. What have you all done with it? I ate some with pasta, broccoli, and a little parmesan - very good. I can imagine using it as a substitute for mayo. How have you used any leftover cashew cream?
This is one of my favorite NYT recipes. A showstopper. I recently made it with sunflower butter and sunflower seeds instead of cashews/cashew butter because my dinner guest has a nut allergy. It was excellent that way too!
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