Name: Tandoori Tofu Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp granulated garlic (sub 1 tbsp garlic powder); 2 tbsp ground coriander; 1½ tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp paprika (regular or sweet); 1 tbsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground cardamom; ½ tsp cayenne (or sub 1 tsp red Indian chili powder); 1 16-oz jar tomato sauce (or 1 6-oz can tomato paste combined with water to make 2 cups); 2¾ cups vegan chicken broth (sub veggie broth); 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 12- or 14-oz block extra firm tofu, torn into bite sized chunks; 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (if your brand isn't pre-rinsed); ½ cup split red lentils; ¼ cup nutritional yeast; 1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips; 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into into strips; 2 cups cups cauliflower, cut into florets; 1 tbsp bsp olive oil (omit if oil-free); 3 tbsp tandoori masala seasoning, divided in half; ~1 tsp salt, to taste; ¼ of a small yellow onion, coarsely chopped; 2 to 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped; 1 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped (including the stems); ½ cup cashews, soaked for 6 hours or in boiling hot water for 30 mins; ½ cup cold water; ½ to 1 tsp salt, to taste; 2 to 4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste (sub lime juice)

This dump and bake Tandoori Tofu Casserole is high in protein and flavour, and low in effort! Requiring only 10 minutes of prep, it’s perfect for meal prep or feeding a hungry crowd. Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free option.

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Watch how to make this Tandoori Tofu Casserole over on my YouTube channel! And don’t forget to subscribe while you’re at it 😉

Ingredients & Inspiration

I love Indian cuisine. It’s probably the cuisine I make the most often at home because it’s flavourful, incredibly vegan-friendly, and usually the recipes are very simple to master. This Indian-inspired Tandoori Tofu Casserole is no exception! Loaded with plant protein from several delicious whole foods, it’s a nutrition powerhouse.

The ingredients are super simple yet nourishing, and pack tons of delicious flavour:

Ingredients

1 16-oz jar tomato sauce, or 1 6-oz can tomato paste combined with water to make 2 cups
2¾ cup vegan chicken broth (sub veggie broth)
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 12-oz block extra firm tofu, torn into bite sized chunks
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (if your brand isn’t pre-rinsed)

½ cup split red lentils
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small red onion, sliced into into strips
2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp olive oil (omit if oil-free)
3 tbsp tandoori masala seasoning, divided in half
1½ tsp kosher salt

DIY Tandoori Masala

If you can’t find a pre-made tandoori masala blend, you can easily make your own, and likely for much cheaper! Simply just mix these spices into a jar. Even if you’re missing a couple it’ll still turn out great.

2 tbsp granulated garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
2 tbsp coriander
1½ tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ginger

1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp cayenne pepper (or Indian red chili powder)

BONUS CILANTRO CHUTNEY recipe!

Want to take your Tofu Tandoori Casserole to the next level? Make this easy Cilantro Chutney to serve it with!

¼ of a small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, washed and cut into 1-2 inch sections (including the stems)
½ cup cashews, soaked overnight or in boiling hot water for 30 mins

½ cup cold water
1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste
2-4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, to taste
A good pinch of red chili flakes
Extra water, add if needed to blend

Place soaked cashews (drained) with the cold water to the blender and blend until smooth. Then add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add extra water to help with blending or to achieve your desired thickness. Transfer to a small jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to Make Tandoori Tofu Casserole

Tandoori Tofu Casserole is the pinnacle of a dump-and-bake recipe, making it a super easy meal to make:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix tomato sauce, chickpeas, veggie broth, 1½ tbsp of the tandoori masala, nutritional yeast, red lentils and quinoa in a 9×13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, cauliflower, tofu, oil, and remaining 1½ tbsp of the tandoori masala until thoroughly combined. Spoon veggie and tofu mixture over the quinoa in the baking dish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 55-65 minutes, stirring once halfway, until veggies are crisp-tender, and quinoa is unfurled, soft and fully cooked.
Make optional Cilantro Chutney: add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a small jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with optional cilantro chutney, or with fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges and naan bread. Enjoy!

Love this recipe? I’d really appreciate if you gave me a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of recipe videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!

Janelle Carss

Tandoori Tofu Casserole

5 from 2 votes

This dump and bake Tandoori Tofu Casserole is high in protein and flavour, and low in effort! Requiring only 10 minutes of prep, it's perfect for meal prep or feeding a hungry crowd. Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free option.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings: 5 to 6 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Canadian, Indian

Calories: 475

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Homemade Tandoori Masala

2 tbsp granulated garlic (sub 1 tbsp garlic powder)
2 tbsp ground coriander
1½ tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika (regular or sweet)
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp cayenne (or sub 1 tsp red Indian chili powder)

Casserole Ingredients

1 16-oz jar tomato sauce (or 1 6-oz can tomato paste combined with water to make 2 cups)
2¾ cups vegan chicken broth (sub veggie broth)
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 12- or 14-oz block extra firm tofu, torn into bite sized chunks
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (if your brand isn't pre-rinsed)
½ cup split red lentils
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into into strips
2 cups cups cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp bsp olive oil (omit if oil-free)
3 tbsp tandoori masala seasoning, divided in half
~1 tsp salt, to taste

Cilantro Chutney

¼ of a small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped (including the stems)
½ cup cashews, soaked for 6 hours or in boiling hot water for 30 mins
½ cup cold water
½ to 1 tsp salt, to taste
2 to 4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste (sub lime juice)
A good pinch of red chili flakes (optional)
Extra water, add if needed to help it blend

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix tomato sauce, chickpeas, veggie broth, 1½ tbsp of the tandoori masala, nutritional yeast red lentils and quinoa in a 9×13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, cauliflower, tofu, oil, and remaining 1½ tbsp of the tandoori masala until thoroughly combined. Spoon veggie and tofu mixture over the quinoa in the baking dish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 55-65 minutes, stirring once halfway, until veggies are crisp-tender, and quinoa is unfurled, soft and fully cooked.
Make optional Cilantro Chutney: Add the soaked cashews (drained) with the cold water to the blender and blend until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add extra water to help with blending or to achieve your desired thickness. Transfer to a small jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with optional cilantro chutney, or with fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges and naan bread. Enjoy!

Notes

Macros per serving, not including cilantro chutney (serves 5 to 6):

For 5 servings:

Calories: 475
Protein: 31g
Carbs: 61g
Fats: 13g

For 6 servings:

Calories: 396
Protein: 26g
Carbs: 51g
Fats: 11g

4 Comments

Samantha says:

February 2, 2026 at 3:04 pm

Ya’ll this was SO very good – My family LOVED it, even my teenagers. I will DEFINITELY make this again.

1. Janelle Carss says:
  
  February 3, 2026 at 4:23 pm
  
  This makes me so happy, Samantha! 🤩 It passed the teenager test which makes me feel REALLY good! Haha. Thank you for sharing and for the 5-star rating!
  
Tamar says:

March 9, 2026 at 2:50 pm

loved this casserole! but when do you add the nutritional yeast? I left it out as I couldn’t see where it was used in the assembly. made the green chutney too with some mint added. fabulous with oven roasted sweet potatoe fries using aquafaba instead of oil. a wonderful meal and even better the next day!

1. Janelle Carss says:
  
  March 11, 2026 at 12:48 am
  
  Good catch, Tamar! Oops, that ingredient somehow didn’t make it into the instructions section — my bad! It goes in with the lentil-quinoa mixture. I’ve updated the recipe with the fix now. 😉 I’m so glad you still loved the casserole even without the nutritional yeast, and YUM at the addition of mint in the chutney!

Tandoori Tofu Casserole