Seasoned beef-less beef using tofu is a result of needing seasoned ground beef for a recipe I was developing but, being vegetarian, not wanting to use actual meat.
This recipe is a direct product of making a vegetarian recipe that originally uses ground beef as the protein. I haven’t eaten beef or red meat in general (except for a little bacon) in probably 20 years! I was a vegetarian for about 8 years, but even before that I gave up red meat. Now that I don’t technically label myself as a vegetarian anymore, I still don’t eat red meat, and VERY rarely any other kind of meat either.
There are so many good recipes out there that uses ground beef, but I never make them because I’ve never found a decent substitute. Regular kinds of meat-less products tend to use gluten as a prominent ingredient, but I’m gluten sensitive and have been gluten free for over 10 years.
This recipe is meant to imitate a certain fast-food Mexican restaurant’s seasoned ground beef. HOWEVER, just a full disclaimer, I haven’t actually tasted this ground beef in decades. I’m all about taste testing and figuring out how to recreate a popular recipe. HOWEVER due to personal reasons I can’t do this with red meat. I did a lot of research to figure out which spices and sauces they use and tried to recreate it the best that I could. I’m pretty satisfied with it and I hope you like it as well! 🙂
What’s Inside Seasoned Beef-less Beef?
- Tofu
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Chili Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne
- Sugar
- Salt
- Black Pepper
How to Make:
- Place the tofu block in a large bowl.
- Break the tofu up with either your hands, a fork, or a potato masher.
- Preheat a slightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat.
- When heated, add tofu in and sauté until all the natural water has evaporated and it’s a little firmer, roughly 7-9 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the seasoning and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Add in the tomato sauce and paste and stir until combined.
- Sauté on medium-low heat until tofu mixture has thickened, another 6-10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, serve, and enjoy!
Equipment Used for Seasoned Beef-less Beef:
PrintSeasoned Beef-less Beef using Tofu
A vegetarian version of a popular fast-food Mexican restaurant’s seasoned beef.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Total Time: 20-25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: main
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients
- 1 block of Tofu
- 3/4 can (15 oz) of Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- Pinch of Cayenne
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl place the block of tofu and using either your hands, a fork, or a potato masher, break the tofu up until it resembles ground beef.
- Preheat a slightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat.
- When skillet has heated, add in tofu and sauté until all of the natural water that was in the block of tofu has evaporated and it appears to be getting firmer/browner, approx. 7-9 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the seasoning and stir until tofu is evenly coated.
- Add in the tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until combined.
- Sauté until everything has thickened, approx. 6-10 more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
