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5.0 from 9 votes

Tikka Masala Rice Bake

Tikka masala rice bake with crispy tofu is a super quick, one-pan meal using a simple tikka masala sauce for an easy dinner that’s full of flavor. Even the rice cooks right in the one baking dish!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 328 kcal
Course: Main Course , Dinner
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the Aromatics
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 hot green chili such as Serrano, finely chopped or use Indian or Thai chilies, or jalapeño
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped bell pepper I use a mix of red and green
For the Spices
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves that's kasuri methi
For the Tofu
  • 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu pressed for at least 10 minutes then torn into bite-sized pieces
For the Rest of the Bake
  • 8 ounces tomato puree or passata or unseasoned tomato sauce , not paste
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste or use 1/2” ginger, minced, and 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup Non-Dairy yogurt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Indian long grain white basmati rice, washed
  • 1 1/2 cups Water or stock or use a mix of coconut milk and stock
  • 1 cup frozen vegetables or other chopped vegetables of choice
  • cilantro, lime juice, and pepper flakes for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Chop all the veggies, and press the tofu and tear it into pieces, if you haven't already. Use 1/2 teaspoon of the oil to grease a 9x11” or similar-sized baking dish, and preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C). Add the chopped onion, green chili, and bell pepper to one side of the baking dish. Add the torn tofu to the other side of the baking dish, then drizzle the remaining oil on the onion and tofu. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices together, then sprinkle half of them on the onion side, and half on the tofu. Toss the spices into the onion and tofu, making sure not to mix the onion and tofu together. Keep them on their same sides of the baking dish.
  2. Bake for about 14 to 18 minutes, or until the tofu is a little crisp, and the onion is starting to turn golden. You can stir the tofu or the onions, if needed in between, if they're scorching on any one side. 
  3. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and transfer the tofu out of the baking dish into a bowl. Add the tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, non-dairy yogurt, and salt, and mix really well. Then, mix in the water, and then mix in the rice and the veggies. Even everything out with a spatula. At this point, you can add some of the tofu back on top, or you can leave the tofu out to add to the baked rice later, depending on the texture that you like. The tofu will soften a little bit if you put it back in, because of the water boiling underneath. If you want to keep it crispier, add it on top just before serving. If it's not crisped up to preference, you can just put the oven safe bowl of tofu back into the oven to crisp up more on its own while the rice is baking. Lightly cover the baking dish with a piece of parchment paper, and bake for 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked to preference. It might take an extra 5 minutes for the rice to completely cook, , depending on your pan and your oven.
  4. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and let it sit for a minute or two, then use a large fork or spatula to fluff the rice really well, top it with the crisped up tofu, and garish with cilantro, lime juice, and pepper flakes. You can also drizzle on some non-dairy yogurt, if you like. Serve with raita dip(see recipe notes for recipe), pickled onion or mango chutney.

Notes

  • Heat: Depending on the spices and on the green chili you used, tikka masala rice can get spicy, so you can adjust the heat by using less of the green chili or just omit the green chili to manage the spice level. You can also use a little less of the Kashmiri chili and cayenne, if needed.
  • Serve with: I really like to serve this with the side of plain non-dairy yogurt or raita dip.  Pickled onions also go really well with tikka masala.
  • Brown rice: brown rice takes much longer to cook and will need an hour or so bake time. Add hot boiling broth and bake, check at 50 minutes.
  • Or parboil the brown rice for 20 minutes, then add to the casserole dish, use 1/2 cup water or coconut milk instead of  1.5 cups, continue recipe as written
  • Allergy info: This recipe is naturally gluten-free and nut-free, as long as you use nut-free non-dairy yogurt. For soy-free, make sure your yogurt is soy-free and replace the tofu with chickpea tofu, fava bean tofu, or pumpkin seed tofu, or just use a drained can of chickpeas instead of the tofu.
  • To make raita dip: mix 1/4 cup non dairy yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons water, 1/4 each teaspoon cumin, salt, sugar and cayenne. Then add 1/2 cup or more grated cucumber or finely chopped onion or tomato. Mix in, garnish with cilantro and ground cumin.

Nutrition Information

Calories 328kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 59g (20%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 5g (8%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Sodium 543mg (23%) Potassium 569mg (16%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 4115IU (82%) Vitamin C 65mg (72%) Calcium 135mg (14%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 328

% Daily Value*

Calories 328kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 59g 20%
Protein 12g 24%
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 543mg 23%
Potassium 569mg 12%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 4115IU 82%
Vitamin C 65mg 72%
Calcium 135mg 14%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.