Tofu Turkey with Stuffing

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Recipe submitted by Carol van de Erve Tracy

Tofu Turkey with Stuffing

Turkey:

5 pounds of firm tofu
1 pound of tofu for the drumsticks - optional

Stuffing:

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 and 1/3 cup celery, diced (about 4 stalks)
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sage (may use 1/8)
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon winter or summer savory
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 teaspoons celery seed
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
3 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing

Basting mixture:

1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon mustard of choice

Directions:

Mash tofu or mix well with hands. Be sure that all of the lumps are out. Line a 12 colander with wet cheesecloth over lapping the sides. Add the mashed tofu to the cloth covered colander, press down and cover with the overlapping sides. Place the whole thing in a large bowl. Cover the cheesecloth with a plate that fits inside the colander and place a 5 pound weight on the plate. Refrigerate and let sit for 2 to 3 hours.

When time is up, start the stuffing. Saute the onions, celery and mushrooms in the 2 tablesoons sesame oil. When soft, add the garlic and all the rest of the stuffing ingredients, except stuffing, mixing well. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add herb stuffing and mix well.

Remove tofu from fridge and take off weight, plate and top of cheesecloth. Hollow out tofu to within 1 inch of the sides and bottom, placing the tofu in a bowl. Place the stuffing inside the she'll and pack in firmly. Cover with the remaining tofu and pat down firmly. Turn stuffed tofu onto a greased baking sheet, flat side down. Gently press on sides of turkey to achieve a more oval shape. If desired at this point, you may mold drumsticks out of one pound of tofu, and place on each side of the turkey.

Mix up the basting mixture and baste tofu turkey with half of it. Cover the turkey with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour.

Remove foil, baste with all the remaining mixture except a few tablespoons and return to oven for 1 hour more, or until the turkey is golden. Remove from oven and use rest of basting mix. Using at least 2 large spatulars, move to a large plate. Serve with the gravy of your choice, if you wish, and cranberry sauce.

does the pepperridege stuffing contain natural flavoring?? That usually means animal products!

Archived comment by: cindy

How many does this serve, provided everybody is relatively hungry? IR

Archived comment by: ingarosa@eldhorn.is

It was wonderful!

Archived comment by: michael

I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving. It was great! I did not use Pepperidge Farm Stuffing (preservatives). I used cubed sourdough vegan bread and shredded no fat vegan cornbread instead of Pepperidge Farm stuffing. This is a vegetarian southern cornbread recipe: First heat an oiled #8 cast iron skillet in oven at 350 degrees. Mix 2 c. cornmeal, 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour, 4 teas. baking powder, 2 teas. salt, 1/4 cup honey, 3 c. water in bowl. Pour into hot skillet, bake 45 min. at 350. Turn onto plate, cover with doubled alum. foil for 3 hours to seal in moisture. Use any ratio of cornbread to sourdough, but I prefer a little more cornbread. Also, when making the stuffing, I use vegetable broth to ensure that it won't dry out when baking.

Archived comment by: ncs0146@interpath.com

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I used it for Thanksgiving except I used our own family stuffing called Mock Turkey. My family enjoyed it. It even resembled a turkey. Thanks again.

Archived comment by: donna

I tried this for Thanksgiving dinner. I had to have done something wrong!! It was edible, but just barely.

Archived comment by: miki

I used just two pounds of tofu and made my own stuffing on the side. The tofu was great! I cooked it at 400 for maybe 1/2 hour, then turned it down to 325 (I also had to cook some turkey for guests) and it worked out fine. Thanks for the recipe!

Archived comment by: r

we ate this for Christmas dinner and it was delicious. i did not use the specified stuffing either but used Paxo and added all the other ingredients. i have passed the recipe on to others now. thank you.

Archived comment by: sHEILA

WOW, thanks for this recipe. I didn't know you could do this with tofu. I made it last weekend and it looked so real even my Dad tried some and he doesn't like vegie food. I used my own stuffing recipe though, but the tofu held together beautifully.

Archived comment by: helena

I was surprised how well the tofu took the turkey shape. I even made drumsticks and wings to make it look more like a turkey and those held up well too! Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the marinade. I think thanksgiving recipes shouldn't really taste like soy sauce, I guess. has anyone thought of a good marinade that goes better with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes?

Archived comment by: laura

Mrs. Cubbisons brand stuffing is vegan and delicious. If I remember, it is all natural except it has calcium propionate, which is a preservative and I am 99% sure vegan (I read it on vegan-l I believe). I used this along with a chicken vegetarian broth, onions, celery, and soy margarine and it was delicious. It tastes just like regular stuffing. I think the spices really help out here.

Archived comment by: kevin

Great recipe! While having Thanksgiving with my non-vegan boyfriend, I had my tofu turkey in the oven along with his with his little three pound turkey. I cheated and used garlic herb stuffing from the health food store! No way could I make stuffing from scratch! Anyway- it all turned out GREAT! Even my meat eating other half was really impressed!

Archived comment by: dannette

PS! If you want an excellent baste without all of the fat of sesame oil, try using NON-diluted Knorr Concentrated Vegetable broth with the soy sauce. It tastes real strong, but when it is used as a baste, and then it runs down onto your veggies, YUM! It also soaks into the cooked tofu better than an oil would.

Archived comment by: dannette

Why would yo want to make food to look like meat if you are a vegetarian, why not make food look like vegetables? I am a meat eater and cannot understand your concepts? You vegetarians are confused.......... I am just on this site because my son is a vegetarian and I need recipes to cook for his lifestyle....

Archived comment by: victoria

There are many reasons why veggies may make their food look like meat. One, they may be veegie for health or moral reasons, not because they dislike meat, and may want a reminder. Two, they may want their dish to look traditional for special days/holidays. Three, they may want the dish to look appealing to meat eaters. 3 very good reasons. Anyway - why not? Does it really matter what the food looks like, as long as those that made it or are eating it are happy that it suits their diet. It really doesn't matter what it looks like.

Archived comment by: sydney

I tried this last year for thanksgiving and although the stuffing was excellent, the turkey itself was pretty non-turkey tasting. I fed it to my veggie friends and they all thought it was pretty gross. but it turned out to look really cool--just like a little turkey. the marinade needs work and then this would be a great idea.

Archived comment by: laura

We were pretty dissapointed with the outcome of this recipe. It looks amazingly like turkey when you slice into it, but the overall flavor and texture wasn't that thrilling. The stuffing was actually the best part. Based on the previous raves I wonder what the difference was between our results and others. We served this to my parents, who are pretty open-minded about our veggie lifestyle and recipes, but they were not impressed either. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give this about a 4.

Archived comment by: bruce

This is the third year in a row that this recipe has made Thanksgiving a particularly wonderful day for me and my family. I use a commercial stuffing, but otherwise follow the recipe to a tee. With all the fixings, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, sweet potatoes sauteed in butter and brown vegan sugar and hot wheat rolls -- there couldnt be anything better. The number of guests we have varies, but with everything else, I'd say one Tofu Turkey would serve eight or ten. My husband can't leave the leftovers alone. Thanks so much for the recipe!

Archived comment by: ellen

I confess, this recipe did not look too apetitzing to me, but I took the advice of all the others who responded. It was actually great! I find it to be better the next day, but it was not only aesthetically pleasing, but I LOVE the leftovers. I had a great vegan Thanksgiving.

Archived comment by: monica

I think the mixed messages were because of the differing expectations. I've been vegan for about 2 years, and don't expect things veggie to taste like meat. but this looks good and tastes good if you don't get your mouth all ready for the texture and taste of turkey, and if you're not new to vegan cooking, so that meat is still apealling to you. This is a fun and great tasting recipe, and I will use it again for Christmas dinner with my vegan extended family.

Archived comment by: toni

I am a first time newcomer to this site. After reading the comments about this recipe, I am encouraged to add my own, without having the chance to try the dish for myself. So, please forgive me! I personally enjoy gourmet cooking and I’m always looking for new ideas. I consider myself to be very creative in the kitchen. What would you think of this idea for flavoring the tofu? Make a double turkey flavored marinade of your choice, one with liquid, the other without (One exception: cubes will need some liquid for dissolving). Mash the non-liquid spices into the tofu at the start of the preparation. Use the liquid marinade in the basting process (which may be varied from the first). Make the dish a day or 24 hours before serving to allow flavors to deeply penetrate. Reheat at 300 degrees or three fourths of the cooking temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before serving (or just long enough for the dish to be fully heated and no longer).

Archived comment by: mark D.

Hello--I am a journalist and I am doing an article on a vegitarian Thanksgiving. I chose your recepie because it is thorough and it has some great ideas for a meal. I would like to know the nutrtion facts about this Thanksgiving meal (by dish if possible) and the comparison of this meal to a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Thank you for your service.

Archived comment by: catherine

Mark You can find vegetarian friendly marshmellows at any Jewish Kosher store. They don't use gelatin in order to keep it Kosher. They taste JUST like regular ones. Why do they put gelatin in things to begin with? It does NOTHING! Anyway, I'm not sure of any vegan marshmellows

Archived comment by: shane

I like this the first time, but I do have to say the leftovers are even better. By the next day, the stuffing has set more, and the flavors are even more comingled. One tip: (I've been making this for the last three years, with great success.) Use light soy sauce, and use the lesser amount. Otherwise, (for my taste) the bird was too salty. Happy Thanksgiving!

Archived comment by: ellen

for those looking for a new marinade for their tofu turkey, this one will work well - combine 1 and 1/2 cups of minced button mushrooms with 1/2 small onion and 1 garlic clove. Sautee for 5 minutes with some olive oil. next add 1/3 c of cold water mixed with 1 tsp. corn starch. wisk together and continue to simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. if you like you can add 1-2 tsp of vegan red wine and additional spices. makes a wonderful mushroom gravy!

Archived comment by: jesse

Some comments indicate concern with taste. There are many tofu roasts recipes floating around. I don't know that this looks like the most appetizing. Flavor could be greatly enhanced by adding 1 cup of nutritional yeast to the tofu. I don't cover my roast with foil, but bake at 375 and baste twice at 1/2 hour intervals. Then I switch bastes to one using 2T concentrated orange juice mixed with 2T corn syrup and cover the roast with pineapple slices, cook for 20 minutes more, baste again and cook until golden brown (10 minutes). This makes for a tasty, cripsy crust.

Archived comment by: jill

We made this and it was great! We won't be making it for Thanksgiving because my family would be scared of so much tofu. All of use were actually terrified to eat it because it looked and felt so much like turkey when we were cutting it. It actually didn't taste anything like turkey, which is why we liked it!

Archived comment by: beth

Tastes great, made a few modifications. Instead of miso, I used 1 organic country vegetable boullion(dissolved in a little water). The stuffing is a little strong taste in sage(used about between 1/8-1/4 c.). Tastes great-thanks!

Archived comment by: renee

I made this for Thanksgiving and was less than impressed with the suggested baste. We didn't think the soy flavor went very well with the rest of the (traditional) Thanksgiving fare. The consistency of the turkey was nice and it did look like a little turkey. I think I'll give this another shot for Christmas, with a different baste.

Archived comment by: amber

This past Thanksgiving, I made this recipe after being so disappointed in the store bought version. It was outragously expensive and tasted awful. This time I made it myself and modified the baste from everyones comments. I used lots of sage, thyme, and rosemary (all of which where ground so they would stick better). I used less tamari and added some tahini and oj concentrate. Salt, pepper, mustard and Balsamic Vinigar! It was great and I can't say enough about the left overs. We had leftovers for everyday for over a week. (just two of us) I made a homemade vegan cornbread stuffing and the tofurky kept it so moist. I'm making it every year. Plus...I still bought the frozen gibblet gravy from the grocery store. It is the same one that comes with the store bought tofurkey and they sell it seperatly. I wish I had recipe for that!! Its the best veggie gravy I've ever had.

Archived comment by: kim

I didn't try the tofu turkey, but the stuffing was absolutely delicious!

Archived comment by: radical

I also was disgusted with the store bought Tofurkey or whatever it is called. I still have one in my freezer and really don't want to cook it. I may donate it if it is still good. I plan to try this recipe based on its reviews! Thanks for contributing. And pay no mind to those who were rude here. I don't understand the need to be so unpleasant. Why would yo want to make food to look like meat if you are a vegetarian, why not make food look like vegetables? I am a meat eater and cannot understand your concepts? You vegetarians are confused.......... I am just on this site because my son is a vegetarian and I need recipes to cook for his lifestyle.... Victoria, I don't know what you mean by concepts here. It seems to me that you are the one who is confused. I am glad that you are trying to adapt to your sons needs. I am sure he is happy that you are making an effort on his behalf.

Archived comment by: lnwn

last year I, well, my mom, made this recipe for us when we went to visit her. The rest of the family were meat-eaters, but my husband and I and my mom were all vegetarians. Because of my husbands dietary needs we used three different types of vegan bread in the place of Pepperidge Farms breading. It was wonderful, and the meat-eaters were dipping in too, along with eating their own REAL turkey! I can't wait to do it myself this year!

Archived comment by: rLMurphy

This recipe ROCKS!!! It was so yummy! I was afraid to sacrifice 5 packages of tofu, but I had a large group of veggies on hand who would have eaten tofu mush (with big smiles) had this recipe failed. Luckily they ate a marvelous tofu turkey with even bigger smiles. Next time I will whirl the tofu in a food processor (instead of using a potato masher) to avoid a lumpy looking turkey. I was also unsure if the herbs in the stuffing were fresh or dried. I used dried, but reduced the amount of sage. Served with praline sweet potatoes from this site (also very yummy) and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. Leftovers didn't last long. I can't wait until I have an opportunity to make this again. K

Archived comment by: karen

wow! this was delicious! I did render the basting mixture a little and elliminated the soy. wish I could submit a picture

Archived comment by: jwizardtree

We made this at thanksgiving, and it was tasty, but it kind of fell apart. When I formed it, it started cracking and as it baked it slowly fell into the baking pan. When it was done, it was a big flat tofu turkey. I think I would have pressed it longer in the cheesecloth (I pressed it for 3 hours) and I maybe would have added a little bit more of nutritional yeast to the tofu mixture when it is first mashed. It was still super tasty tho!

Archived comment by: de_perri

here's a recipe for a marinade that came from the how it all vegan cookbook. its used for a different kind of tofurkey recipe though (one where 1 lb of tofu is just sliced and then covered in the marinade for a few hours, and then baked, and then fried) but i don't see why the marinade can't be used for this recipe either. my one change might be to use stock instead of boiling water for extra flavour. whisk together: 1.5 c boiling water 1/2 tbsp dill 1/2 tsp rosemary 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp marjoram 1/2 tsp sage 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1-4 cloves garlic 3 tbsp olive oil

Archived comment by: missruckus

can the leftovers be frozen? If so, for how long? I'm a baby vegan and haven't cooked with tofu yet, but this sounds like a good trial recipe. I just hate to waste that much food, since I have no local vegan friends to share it with and this sounds like a lot of food for just one person. Thanks!

Archived comment by: myrindyl

Can a mini turkey be made; halving the recipe? If so, would it still be baked at 400, and for how long? thanks:)

Archived comment by: ltrain

I thought this was a really great idea, but I thought that this really tasted nasty.. I think one thing about it that seemed wrong was that the turkey tasted like gelatinized soy sauce pretty much. Not a thanksgiving taste.. so if you are into soy sauce.. maybe this is for you..

Archived comment by: dark_whispers

I've made this a few years in a row and usually had success. I don't really look at it as a turkey substitute (not big on turkey in Australia, just as something slightly festive to enjoy while everyone else is stuffing themselves. Its great with cranberry sauce as an alternative to gravy. I do agree that the glaze can be a bit salty, though - but that's fine with me.

Archived comment by: sgtThursday

This sounds great! I tend to like my stuffing really dry and crunchy, so I'd love to cook it outside of the Turkey. I'm also going to be the only one eating it. Could I use one cake of Tofu instead of five, and cook it solid without the stuffing in the middle? Or would the middle be too creamy/mushy? I always have a problem with my Tofu being too wet in the middle even after I press it. Would love any suggestions on a solid mini-Turkey. Thanks!

Archived comment by: saraalmes

this was fabulous! well, actually, i didn't use the stuffing mentioned, but instead the vegetarian stuffing from this site, as well. i also decided to use about a cup of nutritional yeast, as well - i just mixed it in before i put the cheesecloth over it. it turned out wonderful, and this is a HUGE portion! at least now i don't have to prepare dinner for a while. thanks for the great recipe.

Archived comment by: piccola

yo,we turned this mutha out like a jive turkey. a little too time consuming...I might suggest also adding some salt or spices to the tofu before squishing it for 2 hours...the tofu part lacked a whole lot of flavour. the stuffing was delicious, and our dinner guests were impressed. id say the whole dinner took 8 hours to prepare. whoa. we served it with the roasted butternut squash from this site, also very delicious and easier to prepare than the jive turkey. incidently, we were discussing at dinnertime the origins of the idiom cold turkey. the term comes from an explanation of the effects of heroin withdrawal on human skin. during withdrawal, the blood tends to be drawn towards the internal organs, leaving the skin in a bumpy, cold state, not unlike the skin of a defeathered dead, mutilated turkey. not a jive turkey, a real turkey, stupid. happy canadian thanksgiving suckas, bonita applebaum & tuffguy

Archived comment by: bonitaapplebum

I'm allergic to sesame - is there any alternative ingredient I could use to substitute it from the basting mixture? This will be my first vegetarian Thanksgiving, any advice would be much appreciated!

Archived comment by: missAntithesis

Peanut oil may be a good substitute for sesame oil. It may not taste the same, but I am sure that it can be used. A better baste to use may be a bit of stock, some assorted mushrooms, desired spices, and flour and oil to thicken. Mushrooms go along better with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Or, one could use olive oil and spices as a simple baste.

Archived comment by: jadedlily

saralmes-if you bake just one cake of tofu, turn the heat down to maybe 300-325 and let cook for probably 35-45 minutes, that way the outside doesn't burn before the inside cooks, extra firm tofu packed in water will be denser than a mori nu box type tofu which tends to be creamy regardless of how its cooked. i also marinate my mini bird in mushroom stock,(soysauce is kind of a wierd flavor but the tofurkey people do reccomend it), spices, a dab red wine, nutritional yeast, and whatever else,and cover the roast in carmelized onions, then use the drippings to make gravy.

Archived comment by: veggiewedgie

i used this and it worked great. it was the first thanksgiving i cooked for my family without a turkey and everyone liked it, even my dad!!! i used my own stuffing and mixed and matched some spices but it worked great. thanks!!!

Archived comment by: jenn326

i made this today for thanksgiving and it turned out okay. i only used two blocks of tofu (no need for a giant turkey), and i used the thanksgiving dressing recipe from this website for stuffing. i made a glaze out of orange juice concentrate, corn syurp, wee bit of mustard and some tahini. i cooked it for about 3 hours because i wanted it to get extra firm. i also seasoned my tofu with nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and some sage. although i cooked it for so long, the tofu was still a little too squishy. the taste was alright, not as great as i expected but ill prolly fiddle with this recipe and make it again.

Archived comment by: annabellepunk

Hi everyone, I just read ALL your comments on this recipe- who knew tofu turkey could be so controversial? Welp, I tried store bought tofurkey this year and it was disgusting. Much to my surprise my family was way into trying it when I told them I'd be bringing it, but unfortunately it was a big let down! Chewy and pressed with a strange after taste- it was weird, very processed tasting (BTW- I didn't expect it to magically taste like actual turkey!:). Anyway, my question for those of you who had success with this recipe. Do you use the mori-nu style firm tofu or the kind in the plastic tubs (sitting in more liquid but actually firmer)? I will try this and tweak the baste as well as the stuffing so thanks everyone!!

Archived comment by: clucero

I made this for Thanksgiving this year, and it was surprisingly amazing! Even better as leftovers. Made a few modifications to improve the flavor-- added vegan chicken stock powder, nutritional yeast, and a few seasonings (i.e. onion powder, herbes de provence) to the tofu while mashing it up. It came out very firm with a very crispy skin. Definitely don't skip on the draining time! The longer you press it, the firmer it will be.

Archived comment by: notnas17

We made a tofurkey about 2 weeks ago. 10 meat-eaters, 1 vegan, 1 vegetarian. EVERYONE loved it!!! it takes hours do make it and tofu-mashing is surely not great fun, but it payed off!

Archived comment by: sally_cinnamon

I was afraid, very much so, but it turned out great! Used extra firm tofu and addes nutritional yeast and herbs... next time will use firm tofu, as adding the herbs and yeast made it all a bit too day and there were crackes... but still so good! This was the trial run, so will be making it again Thanksgiving. Stuffing was wonderful, and I added some shreded carrots.

Archived comment by: in2insight

I had high hopes for this recipe. I was making it for a bunch of friends for Thanksgiving. I got up early and began the recipe. After letting the tofu drain with weight on top for 3 hours, it was still very crumbly. It just wouldn't stick togehter. So I added a few things randomly--nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, and textured soy protein in a frantic effort to save the turkey. I wanted my non vegan friends to really like it. It was much better then. Additionally, when you stuff this bird,(at least for me) you can't really hollow it from the side like I was envisioning or it would have fallen apart. I hollowed mine from the top, filled it with stuffing (which is fabulous by the way) and then repacked the whole thing. Even though it flatten out like a pancake when I baked it in a big roasting pan, the flavor was great! Everyone loved it. I would recommend baking it in a pan that fits the size of the turkey for support. I would also let it cool for quite a few minutes (maybe 30) so that it can set. Mine was quite fragile right after baking. Just my recommendations.

Archived comment by: nicklamon

I made this recipe for the first time this Thanksgiving and it was really good. To make it more turkey-like I mixed in a couple packets of vegan chicken gravy with the mashed tofu. I also used some gravy mix in the baste along with olive oil and apple juice. I used firm tofu and pressed it for about 8 hours, but it was still mushy and cracked right down the middle. Next time I will try extra firm tofu although I don't know how well I will be able to mash it.

Archived comment by: jesser