I realize that there have been a lot of “I’ve made this before” entries for a project called “Why haven’t I made that?” but this illustrates how much Deb’s recipes are already in our repertoire. The Crispy Tofu with Sesame-Peanut Pesto is a favorite from Smitten Kitchen Every Day.

I make this as described, though I do tend to make more broccoli than she calls for. Sometimes so much that it won’t fit on one sheet pan, and the one with the tofu gets the overflow. I like to make things veggie-heavy anyway, and this also stretches the meal for us. (We typically get two dinners and one lunch out of it.) I usually don’t make rice with this, but that’s a good way to stretch it if you don’t have or want as much broccoli. Either way there’s plenty of sauce to go around, although we do add chili crisp as well.

The peanut pesto is the star here. The sesame seeds mostly stay whole, and the peanuts are blitzed down to slightly larger pieces. I wouldn’t call it a chunky sauce but it’s got a great texture. I also appreciate that this is a sheet pan dinner. No need to manage things coming in and out of a hot skillet.

It’s not necessarily super fast but it is very easy, which is nice during a busy week. I cut up the tofu and press the cubes while I prep the broccoli and the oven preheats. If I’m not sure when my husband will be done with work, or if it’s too early to actually cook, I’ll make the pesto and then pause there. Otherwise, once the broccoli is ready I finish up with the tofu and make the pesto while it’s in the oven. I like to get a good char on the broccoli and some color on the tofu, so I’ll usually let this roast for the maximum time, tossing the broccoli and flipping the tofu once.