Tofu Cacciatore

Tofu

You can use firm or extra-firm tofu. Soft tofu won’t work for this recipe.

Flavor Base

We make a flavor base (soffritto in Italian) with chopped onion, celery, and carrot, cooked in olive oil.

Soffritto builds flavor in most Italian dishes, including chicken cacciatore.

Canned Tomatoes

You can use crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and whole canned peeled tomatoes.

Herbs

Cacciatore sauce needs rosemary and sage. Fresh and finely chopped are best.

You can also use dried rosemary and sage, about a teaspoon each, then taste and add more if necessary.

Although less traditional, you can substitute Italian seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, and oregano for sage and rosemary.

We also like to add finely chopped flat-leaf parsley at the end. Fresh basil is less common, but it would also work.

Garlic

Fresh garlic, grated, is an excellent flavor enhancer in the sauce.

White Wine

Wine adds acidity and increases the flavor of the dish. We recommend using a dry white wine because red wine colors the tofu, and the dish might look less appealing.

If you don’t cook with wine, use vegetable broth instead.

Red Pepper Flakes

Authentic Italian hunter-style chicken is a little spicy. We add red pepper flakes here, but you can also add chili powder or fresh chilis.

Olives

Black or green pitted olives. Italian or Greek olives are best; for instance, this recipe makes Gaeta olives or kalamata olives in oil delicious.

For even more flavor, you can add a tablespoon of capers.

Soy sauce

Since this recipe has no meat, we use soy sauce to add umami to the tofu and the overall recipe.

Substitute balsamic vinegar or reduced sodium soy sauce.

Prep the Tofu

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take the tofu out of its package, pat it dry with a paper towel, applying slight pressure, then cut it into 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) cubes.

Add to a bowl and toss gently with soy sauce, olive oil, and salt.

Transfer onto your prepared baking sheet and arrange on a single layer with some space between each tofu cube.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the tofu gets drier and chewy.

Make Flavor Base

Do this while the tofu bakes.

Chop celery, carrot, and onion into small dice. You can do so by hand or with a food processor.

Finely chop the fresh rosemary and sage together.

Gently fry carrot, onion, and celery in a large skillet with olive oil for 10 minutes. Add more oil or some water if the pan gets dry.

Then add rosemary and sage, grated garlic, and red pepper flakes, and fry for one more minute until you smell their fragrant aroma.

Hunter-Style Sauce

Add baked tofu cubes to the pan, stir them with the veggies, then add the white wine.

Let the wine evaporate, then add canned tomatoes, water, olives, salt, black pepper, and soy sauce.

Let simmer on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. The more you let it simmer, the thicker and richer it gets.

Finally, add chopped parsley, stir, adjust for salt, and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.

Tofu cacciatore is a beautiful vegetarian dinner idea with a grain of your choice and green sautéed veggies on the side.

It’s excellent with tagliatelle pasta, spaghetti, angel hair pasta, couscous, polenta, or rice.

It’s also delicious with bread and even better with mashed potatoes. Try it with:

• Bread: flatbread, focaccia bread, or bruschetta brushed with garlic.
• Potatoes: mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or cauliflower mashed potatoes.
• Kale salad, Brussels sprout salad, Sautéed greens, sautèed kale.

Bake, fry or air-fry the tofu

We tried making this recipe without baking the tofu first, and it turned out completely different, with a lot less flavor and a too-soft and crumbly tofu texture.

Therefore, I recommend you bake, fry or air fry the tofu cubes before adding them to the cacciatore sauce.

The fastest method is with an air fryer, as you can cook the tofu perfectly air fryer crisp cubes in about 15 minutes.

Herbs

Whether fresh or dry, Italian herbs – preferably sturdy ones like rosemary and sage – are essential to any respectable hunter’s style sauce.

If you live in a part of the world where it is difficult to find fresh herbs and spices, you can either use dried herbs, keeping in mind to add less as their flavor is more intense.

Make-ahead & Storage

Make-ahead: this is an excellent recipe as it keeps well in the fridge for three days, and the tofu gets even more flavorful as it marinates in the sauce.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer: let cool down completely, transfer into a freezer-friendly container, and freeze for up to three months. The texture of the tofu will change slightly after freezing, getting a little chewier, but the dish will still be delicious.

Thaw: let defrost in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Alternatively, thaw in the microwave.

Reheat: Reheat the tofu cacciatore in the microwave or a pan on the stovetop with a tablespoon or two of water.

TOFU BASICS: marinated tofu, fried tofu, baked tofu, BBQ tofu, vegan cream cheese, tofu scramble, grilled tofu, mushroom tofu.

TOFU AROUND THE WORLD: Kung Pao tofu, orange tofu, tofu pizzaiola, tofu soup, tofu curry, braised tofu, tofu stir fry, vegan tikka masala, tofu pasta.

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For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.