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Simple Scrambled Tofu and Kale with Sweet Potato Fries

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Simple Scrambled Tofu and Kale

I’ve long relied on soups as a way to cram as many vegetables as I can into my family’s diet, but the truth is, my daughter prefers to eat her leafy greens mixed into one of her two favorite foods: lasagna and tofu. Lasagna will always be her first choice, but for a super-quick meal that hits all of the nutritional bases, I love a veggie-packed scrambled tofu with a starchy vegetable on the side.

And when it comes to leafy greens, almost nothing packs more nutritional power than kale or has such a mild flavor that goes with practically any seasoning. For this easy scramble, I used about as much kale as tofu for a decidedly green main dish.

How to Make Baked Sweet Potato Fries

To add a different hue to my dinner plate, I chose sweet potato fries as our starchy vegetable.

If you’ve never baked sweet potato fries, you’re in for a treat: Simply preheat your oven to 400F. While it’s heating, peel the potatoes (about 1 medium per person) and cut them into long, narrow strips. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the potato strips on it in a single layer. Sprinkle with the seasonings of your choice (I used Creole seasoning).

Bake for 15 minutes, turn, sprinkle again, and bake for another 15 or until the fries are cooked all the way through. Heat under the broiler for another minute or two to crisp them up but be careful not to burn them (or the parchment!) They won’t be as crispy as fried potatoes, but they will be a delicious and fat-free side dish to go with your vegetable-tofu scramble.

Simple Scrambled Tofu and Kale

 

5 from 4 votes
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Simple Scrambled Tofu and Kale with Sweet Potato Fries

Be sure to use a pan that has a cover so that the kale will steam properly.
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 210 kcal
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper , diced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms , sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 14 ounces tofu , firm or extra-firm, crumbled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (mild or spicy)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 bunch kale , stems removed and discarded and leaves thinly sliced (about 12 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • additional salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat a deep, non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the red pepper and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  2. Add the tofu and sprinkle it with the paprika, cumin, salt, and turmeric. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and the tofu is hot throughout.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the kale and stir. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. Cover and steam, stirring every minute or so, until the kale softens, about 4 to 7 minutes, depending on how tender you like your kale. Stir in the nutritional yeast, check the seasonings, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook for another minute or two until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
Simple Scrambled Tofu and Kale with Sweet Potato Fries
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 210 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Sodium 631mg 26%
Total Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19%
Sugars 3g
Protein 20.6g 41%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This veggie-packed scrambled tofu packs a nutritious punch, while baked sweet potato fries make a delicious side-dish.

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Comments

  3. My sweet potato fired NEVER come out looking like this. What is the secret to yours looking like this and mine looking burnt in some places and undercooked in others?

    Reply

    • I don’t know, Diane! Mine did have little spots of brown, particularly on the tips, but I just did what I said in the post and watched them like a hawk toward the end and when I had them under the broiler.

      Reply

  8. Susan,

    Thank you for your wonderful website. I have thoroughly enjoyed many of your recipes that I’ve tried. Here’s my only problem — I really do no like nutritional yeast and neither does my family. So many vegan recipes call for it, and I know it’s intended to give a cheesy type flavor. I really don’t miss cheese, I just don’t like the smell or taste of nutritional yeast. Do you have any good ideas of alternative ingredients I can try? Thanks for your help! Donna Christian

    Reply

  10. Susan, this looks great, scrumptious–I am going to have to get some tofu now next time I am at the store. I love all the colors–once again you’ve got us eating the rainbow!

    Thanks,

    xo

    moonwatcher

    Reply

  13. This sounds delicious and quick. I’m going to try this for dinner tonight. We love kale and I have been looking for new ways to incorporate it into my family’s diet.
    Thanks!!

    Reply

  14. Made this last night and forgot the nutritional yeast. It was sooo good. I love the kale and actually wanted more of it. Hubby says add it to the list again. First time he had eaten tofu like this and it was a winner.

    Wonder how to adjust the seasonings to go toward Mediterranean? Maybe marinate the tofu first?

    Reply

      • I made this yesterday with the Mediteranian spin and it was wonderful! I didn’t have enough kale in my square foot garden to make a batch so I finished it up with rainbow chard. Added fresh basil and oregano from the garden as well….it was WONDERFUL. My first tofu scramble but for sure won’t be my last! Next time maybe I’ll even try the “fries”!
        Thanks for the suggestions!

        Reply

  15. I noticed you mention something below about vegetable bouillon and was curious: is there a bouillon that you’d recommend? The ones that I’ve seen have oil in them, and I’ve been trying to stay oil-free, BUT bouillon seems like a more affordable option than buying veggie stock.

    Thanks! I love your blog and recipes so much!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Landree! I often use a mushroom bouillon that I buy in the Asian grocery store, and it doesn’t contain fat (though it does have too much salt). Seitenbacher and Better Than Bouillon are both fat-free, though they also contain too much salt. Rapunzel is okay for salt-free, but it contains fat. So the moral of the story is that I haven’t been able to find the perfect fat-free, low-sodium bouillon yet, but I’m still looking–and making my own broth more often.

      Reply

      • Ah, thank you for your speedy reply! Yeah…I may just have to suck it up and make my own broth….full disclosure, I’m a bit of a lazy cook, and for some reason I’ve balked at making my own broth.

        BUT in the meantime, I love the other options that you gave me. I am trying to be mindful of sodium, but currently the biggest concern is the oil. Thanks again Susan!

        Reply

  17. I made this scramble for dinner tonight, adding an onion, an extra garlic clove, and doubling the spices. It was great! I’ll definitely make it again 🙂

    Reply

  18. hi susan,

    i’m one of your german followers! i have had many delicious dishes from your blog, thank you!
    can you do me a favor and tell me how many ounces or grams one bunch of kale actually is? i think that the german packing/packaging sizes are different and i want to get the quantities right.

    thank you and warmest greetings from icy cold germany,
    uli

    Reply

  20. This looks wonderful and something I’ve never had before. This may be a silly question but do you drain and press the tofu first? Also, did you chop it up or does it scramble easily?

    Reply

  24. I find myself perusing and using your website at least 3 times a week. And lately I’ve been pining away for a real cookbook made by YOU!!!! Is there one in the works???? Please say yes!

    Reply

    • I’m considering it, but it would mean time away from writing recipes for the blog, so it’s one of those tough decisions. Thanks for letting me know you’d like one–that helps!

      Reply

  25. Just made this for lunch for my young vegan who adored it! So incredibly tasty. I added some onions to the mushrooms and peppers when I sauteed them. So good! Thanks Susan!

    Reply

  27. Tofu scramble was my dinner of choice when I first went vegan – I ate it so much I actually got really sick of it! But now that some time has passed, it remains a favorite dish. This looks terrific.

    Reply

  28. This was so delicious, even my 13 month old munched on the fries and tori. We had leftovers and wrapped them up for breakfast burritos this morning. Thank you!

    Reply

  29. I have made several tofu scramble recipes and my families never liked it. I just couldn’t get the seasonings right, even with black salt. I tried this recipe and the whole family loved it, including the kale. I did add black salt, but made everything else exactly as you specify. Thank you so much for adding another recipe to our regular rotation. The sweet potato fries were yummy too!

    Reply

  30. I am so thrilled to have come across your site, via the Circle of Mom’s top vegan/veg mom blogger contest. As I try to incorporate more meatless meals into my family’s repertoire, your site is a wonderful source of inspiration. I actually just added it to my list of “sites that inspire” on my blog, in hopes that my readers will come over and delve into the delicious recipes and ideas you have shared. Thank you for taking the time to create such a wonderful resource for all of us. Warmly, Eila Johnson, writer of the full plate blog

    Reply

  31. What a beautiful meal! I love having a good color balance on my plate, too. I’ve tried sweet potato fries but always coated them in oil – and yours look exactly the same! I will have to try your oil-free recipe. I’ve been trying to reduce or eliminate oil wherever it doesn’t make a big taste or texture difference.

    You know what really pops out at me in that photo though? Those mushrooms! They look so delicious I can almost taste them.

    Reply

  34. I hate to say this, but I’ve been a vegetarian for over 18 years and this was the first time I’ve ever had a tofu scramble. It was fantastic! I’m not sure why I waited so long!

    Reply

  35. I love that you’ve gone kale-crazy! I just recently made a tofu scramble for the first time, and we really enjoyed it – looks like your variation is up next!

    Reply

  36. I tried it the other night and it was great! I didn’t have mushrooms but my hubby would have picked them out anyway – he and I definitely had a good filling meal that night (which is hard when we have two little ones) Thanks Susan!

    Reply

  37. This looks delicious! Would it be ok to eat leftover? Thanks for the awesome website! I made the potato soup in my Vitamix last nite and plan on making your stuffed collards this weekend. My friend just brought me 10 heads!

    Reply

  39. Mmmm, I love the simplicity of this meal and photo is gorgeous, so vibrant! I never think to make scrambles for a quick weeknight meal, thanks for the inspiration, I know what I’m having for dinner tonight.

    Reply

  41. Yummmmmmm! Tried this the other day with a few added veggies as my first tofu scramble recipe. Let’s just say I was not disappointed and have great visions of tofu scrambles in my future. Maybe even breakfast ones! Thanks for the inspiration and great recipes. I have enjoyed several others as well:)

    Reply

  42. This sure packs a lot of nutritional value especially for breakfast or light meal(less the fries). Based from the picture, and if i’m not mistaken, it seems like you used button mushrooms for this recipe? I was wondering though if other kinds of mushrooms goes well with this dish.

    Reply

  43. Hello Susan.
    I was craving tofu scramble, especially something I can make for brunch on Sundays.
    Instead, I’m having this for dinner tonight.

    I’ve substituted the kale (didn’t have any…) for baby spinach (I had plenty..) and, I only added a tiny bit of nooch. I’m not a big fan of nooch. 🙁

    Next time, can I use nama shoyu for flavoring? I can save the leftover nooch for a mac and cheese or polenta recipe instead.

    Thanks Susan.

    Reply

  44. Susan, this dish is fantastically delish! I add onions to everything and this was no exception. 🙂

    Didn’t have kale so used frozen Collards. I also added some oregano. Here in NM cumin and oregano hold hands. 🙂

    The frozen Collards got me to thinking about your ridicously easy meals. If someone so desired, they could use frozen bell pepper, the garlic that’s already chopped for you or maybe granulated garlic. I always use fresh, but for a quick meal in a pinch, the other choices are available and nice to have around. 🙂

    Frozen greens are nice and easy, we have Swiss Chard, Collards and spinach in our local frozen section of the grocery store. I normally have some in my freezer. Also for fresh, Earthbound has the organic greens and baby grens would be nice too. We just recently got Earthbound organic kale here.

    So sorry to be so windy, but just thought that might help some others to give this a try……it’s a winner!!! 🙂

    Reply

    • I’m trying to switch to vegan and eggs are the hardest thing for me to give up. This looks so wonderful! I was glad to see this comment about using frozen collard greens in place of fresh kale. Do you know how I convert the amounts in frozen versus fresh greens? I have frozen kale and collard greens but I haven’t been using them since most recipes call for fresh. I would like to use them up. Thanks!

      Reply

  47. Made this for my roommates, total hit! Added asparagus, egg, and extra spices. It’s definitely gunna be a regular for us! Thank you!

    Reply

  48. I’m making this wonderful combo for the third time! It’s so delicious and satisfying, and now it’s become a part of my Saturday morning routine. It’s easy to remember to pick up the ingredients. My only trouble is in finding smoked paprika. I know it must somewhere in this city, so I will keep searching. Thanks again for sharing this fabulous recipe!

    Reply

  49. Made this for my dinner tonight. It is wonderful! This was my first time to try kale. I thought it was very yummy. This comes together very fast and I am looking forward to the left overs tomorrow. I will definitely make this again.

    Reply

  50. As a brandy-new vegan I was very excited to find this website as the recipes look yummy, nutritious, and easy to make (a plus for me since I do not like to cook).

    I am curious, however, about the fat content of the tofu scramble. The ingredients are all very low in fat so how does it end up with 7 grams of fat?

    have a wonderful day

    Reply

    • It’s from the tofu, which derives almost half its calories from fat. Soybeans are naturally high in fat, and that fat gets passed along when they’re made into tofu.

      Reply

  51. I made the tofu scramble with kale for lunch today. Delicious! I added a chopped onion and used chili pepper instead of cumin. I don’t have any smoked paprika but that sounds good so will see if I can find it somewhere to try next time.

    Reply

    • I’ve never encountered that problem! Try this: Look up at your address bar. The address should end in html. If there’s anything after html, delete it and hit return. You should go up to the top of the page.

      Reply

  53. I was craving tofu scramble but knew I needed to get some green veggies into my meal. This is the perfect solution. The addition of the smoked paprika gives it a kick. It tastes great and I have my veggies. Thanks!

    Reply

  54. Hey, I just happened to stumble across your blog and love it! And I appreciate that you’re willing to SHARE your recipes with the world — healthy, low fat, plant based meals are what this world needs the most and you’re contributing to making a healthier America. Thank you so much for what you do! =)

    Reply

  55. This was delicious and filling! I didn’t have peppers and mushrooms on hand, but I still loved it! I also used less yeast flakes. So for anyone on a student budget, you can cut these things out and it still tastes great!

    Reply

  56. My recipe is quite close to this one but I think that Soya sauce really adds to the taste of the scrambled tofu.

    Reply

  58. I make this at least once a month. Just had it Monday with the last of the kale from the garden and some asparagus as a side. It is one of my “go to” dishes and we love it!

    Reply

  59. I made this for dinner tonight and it was REALLY good! I added zucchini and onion … Yum! And we added some hot sauce at the end. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  60. Hi Susan. I want to incorporate tofu into my diet and the scramble sounds delicious. I’m new to cooking with tofu. Do I need to press out the water as you mentioned in other recipes or do I simply drain the package for the scramble? Thanks! A Flexitarian Newbie

    Reply

  61. Susan, this recipe is a verified hit at my house. Thank you! Between this and your Chili Mac, I have two weeknight staples that my two boys love and that include kale! That makes me a happy mom.

    Reply

  62. Thanks! I finally made it today.I was not sure how will it fit in my every day indian menu, but i still made it. While it was getting cooked, i was making my lunch salad. I hate to use store bought dressings, so i thought, voilla!!! lets add scrambled tofu-kale to my lettuce-cucumber-bell pepper salad! awesome! I don’t need dressing now on my salad and it taste soooo good!
    Thanks! I will bake sweet potatoes in evening to go with it for dinner for my husband and kids…

    Reply

  64. I’ve made this several times and we always love it! It’s quick, easy (one wok or big skillet) and really fun to make. Sometimes I cut down on the nut yeast to save some WW calories (yes, it does have calories!) but for 5 “old” WW points, we can have an amazing dinner that is healthy and delicious, including the fries! Sometimes, I cut the tofu into tiny cubes instead of crumbling it, and it actually looks even prettier. My family and I LOVE this recipe!

    Reply

  67. Hi Susan,

    I made this again tonight (I love it) and ate it for supper. I had a pot of slow-cooked pinto beans on all day too. So I cooked my husbands SAD meal and used some of the tofu scramble for his side dish and he loved it! I added some red pepper flakes so that helped. 🙂

    I plated my potion and added some pinto beans with added salsa to my dish. I was eating them separately and then decided to mix them all together because the flavors complimented each other so well. 🙂 It was a nice accident waiting to happen. 🙂

    What I wanted to ask is if I wanted to add some oregano to the dish, how much would I use? It didn’t really need it, but I thought it might be a nice addition next time I prepare this dish.

    Thanks so much, Susan! I miss your emails. 🙂

    Reply

    • This sounds so good, Laina! For the oregano, I would use 1/2-1 teaspoon and see how you like it.

      I know I owe you an email! Things are going well-the three of us are all healthy, at least, though there are some worries in my extended family. We just adopted a 13-week old puppy, and he is keeping me hopping. It’s hard to get anything done while training him. Are you on Facebook at all? I’ve been posting photos of him on my personal page.

      Reply

      • I went to your Facebook page and clicked follow. Aww, Foxly is adorable. 🙂 And so is Bandit. 🙂

        Our minpin (Bandit) is a grouchy old man since our new puppy arrived. He’s been with us over a year now and Bandit still doesn’t like him very much. 🙂

        I’m happy to hear you’re all doing so well.

        And thanks for the suggestion. I’ll do 1/2 teaspoon to begin with.

        Reply

        • Yay! I’m so glad you followed so you can see the photos. Our Bandit has had a few moments of playfulness, but today he is really being a grouch. The honeymoon is over, and the gloves are off! (How’s that for mixing metaphors?) 😉

          Reply

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