Photo: Claire Lower
Tofu puffs are my favorite form of tofu. They’re pre-fried, chewy and crispy, with a honeycomb-like interior that absorbs sauces like a dream. They’re also fairly hollow inside, which makes them a good vehicle for stuff and things—in this case, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Even as a huge tofu-puff fan, I was shocked by how well the fried soy bean morsel worked as a stand-in for the usual doughy crust. They were crispy, yes, but also delightfully chewy in a way that I can only describe as “very fun.” And, as someone who has been lifting very heavy things and trying to get those gains, every little bit of extra protein helps, and they’re a good substitution if you’re trying to cut down on carbs. (They also passed the Official Test of a Pizza Roll: They burned the shit out of my mouth.)
Photo: Claire Lower
Making a tofu puff pizza roll is incredibly easy, if a little messy. To start, you’ll need to mix up a batch of filling, using a ratio of two parts shredded mozzarella to one part pizza sauce by volume. I used 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 cup of sauce, and that ended up being enough for two packages of tofu puffs (about 40 puffs).
After you’ve made your filling, you’ll need to stuff the puffs. Lay them on their most stable side, and make a little “x” in the top with a very sharp knife, taking care not to go all the way through the puff and out the other end.
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Take a teaspoon of filling and shove it—with clean fingers—into the puff. This will feel a little gross, and I’m sorry about that, but it’s really the easiest way to stuff the puff. Keep adding filling until the puff is full, then sprinkle a little extra mozz on the top.
Cook the puff rolls at 350℉ until the tops are browned and bubbly. I used an air fryer, and it took all of three minutes. (When I made a second batch with refrigerated filling, it took five minutes.) An oven will take a little longer, so start checking at the five minute mark and remove them once they’re browned on top.
Photo: Claire Lower
Eat the pizza roll puffs immediately if you wish to have the true molten-cheese-mouth-blistering experience, or wait a few minutes for them to cool down. I like to serve them with extra pizza sauce for dipping, though garlic sauce would be pretty dope as well.
Photo: Claire Lower
