hey there!
HAPPY St. PATRICK’S DAY!
if you are here from the FaveDiets blog hop, welcome to meals & moves! hope you stay awhile.
in this post you will see that i have a healthy dinner recipe followed by a festive st. patrick’s day treat which is featured on the FaveDiets page today.
and to those of you who are NOT here from the blog hop.. YO, thanks for being you and just reading my blog out of pure love.
so, it’s official. i am going to change my blog name to casseroles & moves. that is all marshall & i have been eating this week! wednesday’s dinner marked the third casserole in a row. it was the mister’s idea this time. i had requested that he make his famous tofu spaghetti for dinner, but he called me and asked if we could turn it into a tofu pasta casserole. who am i to tell my casserole-obsessed husband no?
the only stipulation i had was that he make the tofu marinara part of the casserole and i would assemble the rest. he agreed and got to work.
tofu marinara casserole.
ingredients:
- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 2 hours
- 2 tsp freeze dried basil
- 1 TB olive oil
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, grated
- 1 red onion, diced
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can pizza sauce (can sub tomato sauce)
- 2 cups of steamed spaghetti squash
- 4 oz whole wheat pasta of any kind, cooked (we used shells & farfalle)
- as much parmesan cheese as you want
- salt & pepper
directions:
watch your husband shred the tofu into crumbles. 
add the basil to the tofu.
in a skillet, combine olive oil, garlic and onion.
toss in the tofu once the onions start to soften up.
add tomatoes and pizza (or tomato) sauce. season with salt & pepper.
meanwhile, prepare your pasta and spaghetti squash.
in a large bowl, combine squash, pasta and tofu marinara. add 1/2 cup of parmesan (or more, or less, whatever floats your boat). pour mixture into baking dish.
top with more cheese (if you want) and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
serve with veggies and garlic bread.. enjoy!
this casserole was insanely delicious. for all you meatless maniacs out there—GO MAKE THIS! even if you are a meat eater, chances are you will love this. it is a great recipe to try out tofu for the first time—all you do is crumble the tofu so it is seriously fool proof.
it would have been even better with mushrooms, but marshall hates them and i love him.
just call us the king and queen of casserole kingdom.. i am sure we will have another one tomorrow. and the next day. and probably the one after that.
after eating our delicious dinner, i got to work on a special st. patrick’s day treat for the office!
i followed my recipe for miniature white chocolate cheesecakes and colored the filling green for st. patty’s!
these are delicious and SO versatile.. you can make them any color and top them with anything (or nothing)—have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment.
hope you all remembered to wear your green. be back later for more st. patty’s ramblings!
Qs~
1. do you like cheesecake? what’s your favorite cheesecake topper?
2. how do you feel about tofu? how often do you cook with it?
xo. janetha g.
Next Comments →
Ohmygosh!!! I love that you made those Cheesecakes GREEN!!! :D
I don’t really cook with Tofu — I like to bake with it! :D I love it SO much!
xoxo
Kathleen
Cheesecake is my very, very, very favorite dessert. I might need to make (and freeze) some of these very soon.
Hey there Janetha! I’m not from Blog Hop I’m here from pure love!
I admit, I’m usually not a fan of casseroles. I just get an image of “tuna casserole” and hot tuna weirds me out. But you’r casserole actually looks, decent, maybe even delicious (but I’d need to taste the merchandise to make that call).
I rarely use tofu because I try to stay away from soy because of my estrogen levels. I’m also a carnivore and why have tofu when you can have steak? (all your vegan readers are gonna come after me for that one).
Mmmm that casserole. I love tofu! It is so versatile.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE cheesecake. My mother makes some of the most amazing cheesecake ever.
She made one the other day, a Reese`s Peanut Butter cheesecake with chocolate ganache, and I pretty much drooled the whole time!
I cook with tofu sometimes, I like it… this looks really good! one of these days I need to try a spaghetti squash…
and I LOVE cheesecake! I love how vibrant these are! I like to top my cheesecakes with fruit… or chocolate… or toffee! :)
I love cheesecake! Peanut butter topped cheesecake sounds delish :)
And I’ve never tried tofu, but I have some waiting on me in the fridge!! I’m gonna make this pronto :)
AND I just remembered that I bought a spaghetti squash only yesterday at the store. Yay. It’s on.
<3
P.s. I think you and Marshall are super cute! ha
tofu casserole … um, delicious … i might try this one j!
EXTREME! would love this casserole. I like that you used spaghetti squash in place of noodles. Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Omg those little green cheesecakes muffins are so awesome looking!
I love cheeze or cheese cake. I pretty much love all desserts…i aint picky :) And would LOVE you to whip up some green magic lovin’ for me :)
They look great!
So does the casserole but honestly, I don’t even “see” that food after the great little desserts!
they are going to LUV you at the office today, j! i adore the intensity of the green shade! wow-sa!
i am not a cheesecake fan at all – can’t even remember the last time i had it…something about the texture and the “heavy” taste. i’ll take regular cake + icing any time, though!
love tofu to pieces and would eat it 2x every day, if i could.
happy st patty’s day!! i bet you (and your mom) have some cute and festive earrings/necklaces/tshirts etc that you can wear!
I love cheesecake! It’s my favorite dessert.
Ahh, I LOVE this recipe!!! I was thinking of making some kind of pasta casserole for a dinner party coming up but I always like to make a veg version. This is perfection! Thanks for sharing this.
Oh my gosh! Those little cheesecakes are so cute! Perfect for St. Patty’s day! Cheesecake is one of those desserts that I could go either way on. But I will eat the entire graham cracker crust :) I sort of avoid tofu. After the whole its good for you/its bad for you thing….and being pregnant- I just sort of ditched it. I did used to enjoy it in the occasional stir fry though. Have a great St. Patty’s day
Happy St. Patricks Day!!!
I am loving the GREEN on those cupcakes! So cute!! Send one my way!!! Have a great day love! xoxo <3
I love green! I love that that casserole looks hearty even though there’s no meat, and I love that Marshall is in the kitchen. Don’t you just love a man in the kitchen?
cheers!
LC
ah, you sneaked in some squash in this recipe! sneaky squash! very good work, team. now we must work on mushrooms :P this looks delicious. and i kind of wish we worked at the same office, for the themed sweets. and lunch dates/ photo shoots, obviously. hehe.
i’m actually not a big fan of cheesecake, but i eat it every once in awhile. it’s a bit rich for my tastes, in a super cheesy way that bothers me. hm.
i rarely cook with tofu at this point, but a simple pan fried tofu is my favorite. i put it atop grains and veggies, usually, or sometimes with a sweet potato. the fried quality makes it super dippable and yummy.
I love tofu and I love this casserole dish, I am going to make it! :)
Crap – I wore green yesterday. But I have to wear it again today since I am a teacher. What kind of teacher would I be if I showed up on St. Patty’s day wearing red!?
PS – That casserole is pretty much insane. I want it now.
cheesecake is perfect as-is, doesn’t need any toppings, but when it DOES have them i like it to be pecans, caramel, and chocolate!
Dang, I’m totally down for that casserole…but I’ve only tried spaghetti squash once and it was a huge fail on my part!
My fave cheesecake is the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake that The Cheesecake Factory sells…amazing! If I have plain cheesecake, my fave topping is strawberries :)
The cheesecakes are SO festive!! I love nearly all “personal sized” treats :)
I love casseroles! I like that you have been making them so much this week. I do like cheesecake! I really like cherries on cheesecake. Mmm..they are delicious! I’ve actually never had tofu before! I’m nervous to try it!
I love cheesecake! Anything with a chocolate crust it good with me! :) I don’t cook with tofu. It scares me! I tried to do it once and it was an epic fail! I need to try again!
I love cheesecake — and your mini ones are so adorable!
I’m not a big tofu eater, and I like the idea of crumbling it — it might fool me into liking it more.
These mini cupcakes look amazing! Thanks so much for linking up to the Healthy Hop!
Janetha! I don’t have a blog of my own, but I read yours almost daily. I live in Denver, but was in SLC this week for work. I drove past the coffee shop in your wedding photo and I was so excited!
Love cheesecake, love tofu. Favorite cheesecake topper is probably something peanut buttery, and my favorite way to use tofu is just sauteed so it’s crispy with some salt and pepper! Perfect vehicle for dipping sauces. :)
I think Marshall looks more buff in those pictures! Guess all those workouts and fab casseroles are working!
Not a big cheesecake person, though I do love the Cheesecake Factory’s Godiva flavor. And I loooove tofu, so that casserole looks delicious!!
Everything looks delicious but I’ll take a second helping of those cheesecakes please! ;)
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
My favorite thing on cheesecake are those gooey cherries you buy in a can (cherry pie filling maybe?). Sounds gross, but they are so good.
I love tofu, I could eat it at every meal!
That looks amazing! I’m not a huge tofu person, but I think I could love that quite easily.
I heart cheesecake, my mom makes similar mini ones and they are my jam. I kind of just prefer them on their lonesome, no toppings.
Love cheesecake!!!! I love basically any kind I can get from The Cheesecake Factory. Theirs are the best!
And casseroles – you make killer ones so feel free to eat them all the time. I will happily take each recipe. :)
My salad is green. Does that count?
I’m pretty sure I don’t own a single green outfit.
that casserole looks so good! I just found spaghetti squash and love love love it. Notice the three loves, I really love it. Its so great to get my boys to eat something besides carbs and they don’t even notice the difference.
Cheesecake, oh how I love you. I try and make a different cheesecake recipe every month to see which one I like best. The best one so far had lemon, cottage cheese, tofu, and cream cheese! The tofu made it sooo sweet and creamy. Love the idea of coloring it green!
You are on a major casserole kick – love it! and nice job getting in the spaghetti squash!!
I’m not a tofu fan… wish I was!
The sweets look great – love the green topper!
My husband loves casseroles too. They can be usually be pretty easy to assemble, and versatile, and make great leftovers, so I’m happy to oblige him. I’ve been getting some great new ideas from you lately :)
1. I haven’t had cheesecake in FOREVER, since my pre-vegan days, many moons ago. I would say I was/am a cheesecake purist though. It can’t be too sweet, and with maybe just a little strawberry garnish or a drizzle of dark chocolate.
2. I haven’t had tofu in a long time either. Soy tends to make me feel like yuck. Boo.
Happy St. Patrick’s!!
casseroles are the way to go!!!
I love how you do all these fun things for holidays!! I’m the bad mom who forgets all of them, pretty sure neither child wore any green anywhere when they left this morning.
Strawberries are definitely my favorite topping for cheesecake, and for the life of me I can’t like tofu.
I need to get my boyfriend to try tofu, so this casserole would be perfect! I usually just bake it or sautee it in stirfries
Cheesecake topper? umm…chocolate? whipped cream? I don’t eat a lot of cheesecake. It’s not usually my dessert of choice.
Tofu…makes me nervous. I know that’s weird. I have never cooked with it. I bought it once to try cooking with it, and just got too nervous and eventually it went bad. I’m a nervous nellie in the kitchen.
also – I love casseroles. What is the deal with them? They’re so…mysterious? I don’t know. I just like them. Always have. :)
You are like a cuter, younger, funnier Martha with much better style (remember that poncho she rocked in prison?). I seriously get a charge out of your casseroles, themed treats, and craftiness.
I can’t remember the last time I had a casserole, but you know I love my tofu! I eat it raw, scrambled, and baked! I’ve stir-fried it a few times but that’s probably my least favorite method overall.
You are SO sweet to make those mini cheesecakes for everyone :) I wish I worked in your office!
And, that casserole looks like the BOMB.com! I think casseroles rock- you can just throw everything in a pan & call it a day.
OH & I meant to write you back about the cheese thing- like with Marshall having the Crohn’s & eating all of that cheese. I used to be totally fine with any kind of lactose, but then about a year ago it started KILLING me. Come to find out the Crohn’s disease induced the lactose intolerance. I’m *crossing my fingers* that this doesn’t happen to Marshall too. It REALLY sucks sometimes, but it’s also nice that there are a bunch of alternatives…and well, sometimes I just have to have real ice cream..so worth the pain :)
I love tofu! I have been recently making Emily’s (Daily Garnish) crispy tofu and Kristen’s (Iowa Girl Eats) Honey Soy Baked tofu – both are amazing! I’m always looking for more tofu recipes! Thanks, Janetha!
mmm, i love cheesecake! i usually just roll with traditional berries or whipped cream! :)
I’ve been in a casserole-y mood lately too! I made a version of your quinoa casserole the other night, but with beet greens instead of broccoli. It was really good!
We’ve been eating more tofu lately, usually in stir fries but also just sometimes marinated and baked. It’s cheap and versatile, what more can you ask for!
If it weren’t for the cold I would really want to come over right now for casseroles and baked goodies! Love your cooking :)
Keep up the casserole goodness! I love making and eating casseroles – they are perfect for lunch leftovers at work too :)
ohh yummmay! ok you are now the queen of cassaroles, I just want to let you know :) and DELICIOUS cassaroles. i still remember last year when I made your one pot meal of turkey and garbanzo bean bake and it was SO good! i love meals that are in one dish…easy clean up and so flavorful! this one looks awesome! I love tofu and have never used it in this way before! keep it up!!!
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