The Vegan Roman Tofu Scramble

Loaded with onions, peppers, and garlic, The Vegan Roman Tofu Scramble is the ultimate breakfast dish! It’s great for brinner, too!

Tofu Scramble

Tofu scramble is one of my favorite meals, and in my house it’s not just exiled to the breakfast menu. I sometimes have it for lunch, and I often make it for dinner. This Roman Tofu Scramble is one of my favorite breakfast-for-dinner meals.

When I went vegetarian in the early ‘90s, I experimented with all kinds of dishes. I would drive to the health food shop about half an hour away and peruse their aisles of unfamiliar foods, picking a few to try. I remember picking up a box of tofu scramble mix, excited to make something new for breakfast.

The resulting dish was barely palatable, as it was super heavy on the spices. I bought more and kept experimenting with it, though. I found that adding some vegetables and only using about a third of the mix made a much tastier tofu scramble.

It wasn’t until I bought a Miyoko Schinner’s The New Now and Then Epicure in 2001 that I learned how to make tofu scramble without the mix. It soon became a breakfast favorite, and I’ve since created many of my own scramble recipes.

The Roman Tofu Scramble

This Roman Tofu Scramble is my interpretation of a favorite from Rutherford Pancake House here in New Jersey. (The Pancake House is actually a small chain, with restaurants in Maywood and Morristown, too.) The Pancake House offers a few tofu scrambles, The Vegan Popeye being my favorite with The Roman coming in at a close second.

The Roman Tofu Scramble is loaded with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and vegan sausage. The Pancake house doesn’t use arugula in their dish, but I’ve added it to my recipe, because I like to add leafy greens to my scrambles. The dish is finished off with a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella.

A note on Vegan Sausages and Non-Dairy Cheese

I don’t eat vegan meats and non-dairy cheeses very often, but I don’t totally eschew them. They’re convenient and most of them are quite tasty. I’ve been veg long enough to remember the early days of “meatless meats,” when the only brand of veggie burger that was available at the grocery store tasted about as good as the cardboard box it came in. The only non-dairy cheese that was available when I went vegan bore a strong resemblance to a large, waxy crayon. So I really appreciate how far meat-free foods have come over the years.

There are several brands of vegan Italian sausages available, including Tofurky, Field Roast, and if you’re lucky enough to find it, No Evil Foods. If you follow a gluten-free diet, the new Beyond Sausage is made with pea protein and is free of both soy and wheat. I like to use Field Roast sausages when I make this Roman Tofu Scramble.

Gone are the days of waxy non-dairy cheese! Vegan cheese tastes great and actually melts now. There are many vegan varieties of mozzarella on the market these days, including Daiya, Vegan Gourmet, Go Veggie, and Miyoko’s Kitchen—the latter being my cheese of choice. If you’re feeling up to a challenge, recipes to make vegan sausages and mozzarella from scratch can easily be found online.

Weekend Breakfast

The Roman Tofu Scramble is perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch. Since it takes about 20 minutes to make, it might not be the best option for busy weekday mornings. If I have a hankering for tofu scramble during the week, I will make this dish in advance, so that all I have to do is heat it up in the morning. Enjoy it with roasted potatoes, toast, and a nice cuppa.

Print

The Roman Tofu Scramble

Loaded with onions, peppers, and garlic, The Vegan Roman Tofu Scramble is the ultimate breakfast dish! It's great for brinner, too!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword tofu scramble, vegan breakfast

Yields 4 servings

Author Dianne

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (14-ounce) block tofu, firm or extra-firm, drained and pressed
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon kala namak
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 (14-ounce) package vegan Italian sausages, sliced
• 5 ounces arugula
• 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella shredded

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Crumble the tofu and add it to the pan along with the nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, oregano, thyme, basil, and kala namak. Stir to coat the tofu in the herbs and spices.
3. Add the garlic, peppers, tomato, and sausage. Cook for 10 to 15 more minutes, until heated throughout.

4. Fold in the arugula and top with the shredded mozzarella. Cover and allow the cheese to melt, about 2 or 3 minutes. Serve hot.

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like:

• No-Huevos Rancheros
• Sante Fe Vegan Breakfast Quesadillas
• The Popeye Tofu Scramble
• Vegan Breakfast Pizza