Super simple and easy to make, this tofu taco meatless meat is a staple in our home. Crumbled tofu, a little olive oil, spices, and heat. That’s it! I’ve even fooled a couple of the neighbor kids with this recipe; they swear it’s chicken. Better than Sofritas! With a little spice and sizzle, no one will know it’s tofu, except the chef!

What Kind of Tofu?

I like to use extra-firm tofu when making tofu taco meat. Firm tofu works fine too. In fact I just made this last night with firm tofu, because that’s all that was available at the grocery store yesterday. Super firm tofu also works great, but this does cost a tad bit more so I usually just opt for extra-firm and call it good.

Spice It Up

Or more accurately, season it! This spice mixture is not spicy hot, just flavorful. Although you can make it spicy hot by adding cayenne pepper. The perfect blend of savory, salty, and smoky to season the tofu.

Spice Mix:

• Cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic granules
• Onion granules
• Oregano
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper (optional)

I prefer to use garlic granules and onion granules instead of garlic powders. Why granules? They dissolve more easily in liquids and don’t clump up. Granules are better for cooking, and powders are better for making dips and sauces that aren’t cooked. Personally, I just use granules for everything.

Cast Iron Cooking is the Way to Go

I absolutely love my cast-iron skillet pan. Well, actually, I have two, a small and a large—they are both amazing staples in my kitchen that we use every day. In fact, we were just visiting family in San Francisco, and my cast-iron pan is what I missed the most from my kitchen. Having to clean a regular stainless steel fry pan with crusted-on gunk daily made me greatly miss the ease of cast-iron.

What’s So Great About Cast Iron

Cast-iron pans get “seasoned” with use. Meaning you put a little olive oil in the pan, use it to cook, then rinse it off with water, dry it, and then add a little more olive oil to coat the pan—season it. This builds up a natural nonstick finish that is not toxic like Teflon. As an added bonus, a seasoned pan actually works so much better than nonstick pans; the finish will never wear off. Your cast-iron pan may just outlive you. In the past, we would wear out a nonstick pan every year or two at most with heavy use. It was becoming an annoying investment to buy new pans so regularly. Not anymore, we are hooked on cast iron.

Also, it is so incredibly quick and easy to clean a cast-iron pan. Hardly any scrubbing. I literally just rinse it with water after use, dry it with a towel, and voila! If something got extra burnt on, we do have a copper scrubber, but trust me, it takes way less elbow grease. Nothing like using a regular stainless steel fry pan.

Plus, cast-iron pans are actually really affordable. This is my favorite 13.25″ cast-iron skillet. I love the deep sides, I can even make things like shepherd’s pie and toss it straight into the oven to finish. It is my most used pan, we use it every single day. It actually just lives on our stove. The 8″ skillet is our small-size cast-iron pan. It is great for sauteing onions or frying up a single egg. These two skillets are the only fry pans we use to feed our family of four; that’s all you need. Plus, you can pick up this little pan for under $20!

The key to taking care of cast-iron pans is to keep them dry. Water will create rust. You can clean the rust off but it’s a pain. As long as you do not put it in the dishwasher and thoroughly dry the pan off after every cleaning, you are good to go. I find it way quicker and easier for cleaning and maintenance than stainless steel pans.

Alright, head over to the stove, it’s time to get cooking!

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