Pan-fried tofu with mushrooms is a quick and delicious recipe that is perfect for everyday, last-minute dinner.
This recipe is inspired by scaloppini with mushrooms, a popular Italian recipe, but our version is 100% plant-based.
What to expect
Tofu is usually associated with Asian cooking. However, tofu is perfectly suitable for other cooking styles, especially Italian cooking.
So, my pan-fried tofu with mushrooms is the plant-based version of a popular Italian recipe called "scaloppine ai funghi" or mushroom scaloppini.
As Wikipedia perfectly puts it, "scaloppini is a type of Italian dish that comes in many forms.
It consists of thinly sliced meat, most often beef, veal, or chicken, that is dredged in wheat flour and sautéed in one of a variety of reduction sauces."
In this dish, I replace the meat with slices of tofu, but I then pretty much follow the original Italian recipe for mushrooms scaloppini.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mushrooms: you can use any type of mushroom. White, brown, portobello, chanterelle, etc.
- Dried porcini mushrooms: this ingredient is optional, but since it has become very easy to find in most supermarkets, I decided to add it to this recipe.
Dried porcini mushrooms add a ton of flavor to this dish. They just need to be soaked for 10 minutes in ⅓ of a cup of warm water to release their intense flavor, which will be absorbed by the other mushrooms. - Garlic: to cook with the mushrooms.
- Olive oil: to pan-fry both the mushrooms and the tofu.
- Tofu: use firm tofu for this recipe.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour to coat the tofu slices.
- White wine or vegetable broth: in the original Italian recipe white wine is used to add acidity and flavor to the dish. Here I do the same, however, you can replace white wine with vegetable broth.
- Parsley: freshly chopped, to add freshness. Parsley and mushrooms always go together in Italian cooking.
- Salt and pepper.
Instructions
Soak the dried porcini mushroom with warm water for 10 minutes.
Note: adding dried porcini mushrooms is optional. Dried mushrooms help boost the mushroom flavor of the dish.
To a non-stick pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic, and sliced mushrooms.
Add the soaked dried mushrooms and their soaking water. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
While the mushrooms cook, slice the tofu into ⅙ of an inch (0.4 cm) thick slices. I usually get 8 slices from 21 ounces (250 grams) of firm tofu.
Add some all-purpose flour to a plate, then coat each slice of tofu in the flour.
When the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them to a plate or to a bowl.
On the same pan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the tofu slices. Cook the tofu slices on medium heat for about 4 minutes, turning them around once.
Season the tofu on both sides with salt and pepper.
When the tofu is almost done, add the white wine (or the vegetable broth) to the pan and let evaporate.
Add the mushrooms on top of the tofu, add the vegetable broth, some chopped parsley, and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
Serve on a plate, 2 to 3 slices of tofu per person, and some mushrooms on the side.
Storage
Store the pan-fried tofu with mushrooms for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, best if in an air-tight container.
Reheat on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil or with a dash of water.
Serving suggestions
It's no secret that we are tofu fans in our family! In fact, it's one of our favorite choices for an easy dinner. That being said, if you want to make it a complete and healthy meal, check out these veggie-packed side dishes:
Similar recipes
Do you love tofu as much as we do? Take a look at our easy tofu recipes, ready in 20 minutes:
- Baked and steamed tofu
- Lemon tofu
- Fried tofu
- Orange tofu
- Tofu in pizzaiola sauce
- Scrambled tofu
- Tofu salad
- Spinach tofu pesto
- Tofu soup
Isn't tofu incredibly versatile? Let us know in the comments below how you like to eat tofu, we'd love to hear.
Recipe
Pan fried tofu with mushrooms
Equipment
- Non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 21 ounces mushrooms white, brown, champignon, portobello, etc
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms (optional) + ⅓ cup of warm water to soak them
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 9 ounces tofu firm
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup white wine or vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 handful parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the mushrooms
- Soak the dried porcini mushroom with warm water for 10 minutes.Note: adding dried porcini mushrooms is optional. Dried mushrooms help boost the mushroom flavour of the dish.
- To a non-stick pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic, and sliced mushrooms. Add the soaked dried mushrooms and their soaking water. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
- While the mushrooms cook, slice the tofu into ⅙ of an inch (0.4 cm) thick slices. I usually get 8 slices from 21 ounces (250 grams) of firm tofu.
- Add some all-purpose flour to a plate, then coat each slice of tofu in the flour.
- When the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them to a plate or to a bowl.
- On the same pan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the tofu slices. Cook the tofu slices on medium heat for about 4 minutes, turning them around once.Season the tofu on both sides with salt and pepper.
- When the tofu is almost done, add the white wine (or the vegetable broth) to the pan and let evaporate.
- Add the mushrooms on top of the tofu, add the vegetable broth, some chopped parsley, and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Serve on a plate, 2 to 3 slices of tofu per person, and some mushrooms on the side.
Video Recipe
Nutritional Values
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Victoria
Very good recipe! I cooked both the scallopini and the Brussel sprouts with lemon and syrup. Flabbergasted!
Nico
Amazing, Victoria! Thanks so much for commenting! Happy that you like the tofu like this. Cheers, Nico
Sarah
I'm making this dish for a second time as it was delicious! Do you recommend pressing the tofu beforehand?
Nico
Hi Sarah, so happy to hear you like this recipe 🙂 We generally don't recommend pressing the tofu, but it depends on your preference. If you prefer a softer and more moist "tofu cutlet", then don't press it. If you prefer a chewier but a little drier cutlet, you can press it. I hope this helps 🙂