The classic French dish of chicken florentine gets a no-compromises vegan makeover in this vegan tofu florentine recipe. It stars golden-brown tofu steaks, mushrooms and spinach in a creamy, garlicky sauce. My recipe is way healthier than the original version and it's loaded with protein and authentic flavor.
Table of Contents
What is florentine?
In French cuisine, Ã la florentine typically refers to a dish cooked with spinach in a creamy sauce. This includes dishes like eggs florentine, quiche florentine and chicken florentine. While one might assume, from the name, a link with the Italian city of Florence, it is, according to experts, a tenuous one.
One of the most popular - and beloved - florentine dishes adopted here in the United States (in the 1930s by some accounts) is chicken florentine. I've long wanted to make a vegan version of this dish I once loved. This is a quick and easy dish but it's also a rich and luxuriant one, made by sautéing chicken breasts in butter until they are golden-brown, then dousing them in a creamy sauce made with cream, cheese, and more butter. Ooh la la.
To make a vegan florentine that has all of the best elements of the original recipe - and none of the bad ones - I kept the spinach and replaced the chicken with tofu. I tossed the tofu in a mixture of vegan parmesan cheese and flour before sautéing it to a rich golden brown. Cashew cream made a sauce that was both rich and smooth as silk. Finally, I added in loads of umami with tamari, mushroom stock and mushrooms.
If you are vegan, this vegan tofu florentine recipe is a delicious way to add lots of healthy protein to your meals. You can easily make the recipe gluten-free, soy-free or nut-free (more on that in the FAQs below). But you don't have to be plant-based to enjoy it. Try it sometime instead of the chicken florentine you so love and you will be pleasantly surprised. The recipe takes under 30 minutes to make, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Recipe card
Vegan Tofu Florentine
Ingredients
For tofu
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 16 oz high protein tofu (cut into 12 slices)
For sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 3-4 cups mushroom stock (divided)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced or crushed with a garlic press)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced)
- ¼ cup dry red wine (or white wine)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Sauté tofu
- Place the vegan parmesan cheese, flour, salt and ground black pepper in a plate. Mix. Dredge the tofu slices in the mixture. Reserve any remaining flour.
- Heat the oil in a wide saucepan or skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the tofu slices in a single layer and cook them on each side until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Make sauce
- Blend the raw cashews with a cup of the mushroom stock.
- To the saucepan with any oil remaining after frying the tofu, add the onions, celery and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for a couple of minutes until the onions start to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add the wine to the pan and cook until some of the moisture has evaporated. Stir any remaining flour and vegan parm leftover from dredging the tofu to the pan and mix it into the mushrooms.
- Stir in the basil, oregano and cashew cream.
- Add two more cups of the mushroom stock and stir well. Let the sauce come to a boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down. Stir in the tamari. If you want a saucier sauce, you can add up to one more cup of the mushroom stock.
- Add the spinach to the sauce and stir for a couple of minutes until the spinach has wilted. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the tofu slices back to the pan and submerge them, letting them cook in the sauce for a couple of minutes to absorb the flavors.
- Turn off heat. To serve, place three tofu steaks in a plate or bowl and spoon the sauce over the tofu.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Tweaks for special diets
- Soy-free: Replace tofu with chickpea tofu or white beans. You can skip the steps for sautéing tofu and add the beans directly to the sauce. Replace tamari with soy-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Nut-free: Use 2 cups oat milk or hemp milk instead of cashew cream. Use just one cup of mushroom stock.
- Gluten-free: Substitute the all-purpose flour with rice flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Vegan tofu florentine FAQs
Yes, use three to four ounces of frozen spinach instead of fresh baby spinach.
You can substitute it with a good store-bought or homemade vegetable stock. You can also use water, but I recommend using stock for more flavor.
Spinach is a classic addition to florentine dishes and it's best to use spinach for authentic flavor. However, you can use other quick-cooking greens like arugula or watercress in this recipe.
With its creamy, garlicky sauce, tofu florentine is perfect when paired with a carb that soaks up all that goodness, like crusty bread, pasta or mashed potatoes. You can also serve the tofu florentine with a simple green salad or sautéed collard greens or any vegetable side like roasted zucchini or roasted Brussels sprouts.
Tanya Marquette says
What can be used instead of flour for thickening. Trying to keep the carbs and calories down.
Vaishali Honawar says
Use two tablespoons of chickpea flour or besan.