Glazed Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Crispy Roasted Tofu (Serves 8)
Davis Whitehead·1 hr 25 min·Serves 8These rice bowls are built for leftover pulled-pork sauce: sweet potato and cauliflower roast until deeply browned, then get lightly lacquered with a thinned, salty-sweet glaze. Crispy roasted tofu adds protein, while a big pile of fresh greens and a quick vinegar-sesame slaw keep everything bright and balanced (no lemon). Serve over fluffy rice so the sauce tastes bold, not salty. Great for feeding a crowd and easy to scale for meal prep.
- gluten-free
- vegan-leaning
- sheet-pan
- meal prep
- crowd-friendly
Ingredients
- Rice
- •3 cups (540 g) uncooked jasmine or long-grain white rice, rinsed
- •4 1/2 cups (1080 g) water
- •1 1/2 tsp (9 g) kosher salt (optional; skip if your sauce is quite salty)
- Crispy Roasted Tofu
- •4 blocks extra-firm tofu, 14 oz / 397 g each (about 56 oz / 1588 g total), drained
- •3 Tbsp (45 g) olive oil
- •2 Tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
- •1 1/2 tsp (5 g) garlic powder
- •1 tsp (2 g) smoked paprika (optional)
- •1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt (optional; reduce/skip if sauce is salty)
- Roasted Sweet Potato & Cauliflower
- •3 lb (1360 g) sweet potatoes, peeled or scrubbed, cut into 3/4 in / 2 cm cubes
- •2 large heads cauliflower (about 3 lb / 1360 g florets)
- •5 Tbsp (75 g) olive oil
- •2 tsp (6 g) ground cumin
- •1 1/2 tsp (4 g) ground coriander
- •1 tsp (2 g) black pepper
- •1/2 tsp (1 g) cinnamon (optional; nice with sweet sauces)
- Glaze (using your leftover sauce)
- •1 cup (240 g) leftover reduced blended pulled-pork sauce (I’m assuming you have at least this much—use 3/4 cup / 180 g if that’s what you’ve got)
- •1/2 cup (120 g) water, plus more as needed
- •2 Tbsp (30 g) rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Greens & Crunch
- •10–12 oz (285–340 g) tender greens (kale, chard, spinach, arugula, or a mix), washed and dried
- •6 cups (450 g) shredded cabbage (green/red or mix)
- •1 large cucumber (about 300 g), thinly sliced (optional but great)
- •3 Tbsp (45 g) rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- •2 Tbsp (25 g) sugar (or 20 g maple syrup)
- •2 Tbsp (30 g) neutral oil (or olive oil)
- •1 1/2 tsp (9 g) kosher salt (start with 1 tsp / 6 g if sauce is very salty)
- Finish (optional but recommended)
- •1/2 cup (60 g) sliced scallions
- •1/3 cup (35 g) toasted sesame seeds
- •1/2 cup (75 g) chopped cilantro or mint
- •Chili flakes or hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
Game plan
Heat the oven to 450°F / 232°C. Set racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2–3 sheet pans with parchment (easier cleanup, better glaze).
Cook the rice
Cook 3 cups (540 g) rice with 4 1/2 cups (1080 g) water (and 1 1/2 tsp / 9 g salt only if your sauce isn’t very salty). In a rice cooker, use its standard white-rice setting; on the stovetop, bring to a boil, cover, simmer low 12 minutes, then rest 10 minutes off heat. Fluff—grains should be tender and separate.
Prep and roast the tofu (crisp first, glaze later)
Press tofu: cut 4 blocks (about 1588 g) into 3/4 in / 2 cm cubes. Lay on a towel and press with another towel + a sheet pan for 10 minutes (it should feel drier and less slippery).
Season: toss tofu with 3 Tbsp (45 g) olive oil, 2 Tbsp (16 g) cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp (5 g) garlic powder, 1 tsp (2 g) smoked paprika (optional), and up to 1 tsp (6 g) salt (go lighter if your sauce is salty). The cubes should look lightly dusty, not pasty.
Roast: spread on a sheet pan with space. Roast 20–25 minutes, flipping once, until edges are browned and crisp and the cubes feel firm when tapped.
Roast the sweet potato + cauliflower
Toss vegetables: in a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes 3 lb (1360 g) and cauliflower florets 3 lb (1360 g) with 5 Tbsp (75 g) olive oil, 2 tsp (6 g) cumin, 1 1/2 tsp (4 g) coriander, 1 tsp (2 g) black pepper, and 1/2 tsp (1 g) cinnamon (optional).
Roast: spread across 2 sheet pans in a single layer. Roast 25–35 minutes, tossing once, until cauliflower has deep brown edges and sweet potatoes are browned and creamy inside (a knife should slide in with little resistance).
Make the glaze + slaw while things roast
Glaze: whisk together 1 cup (240 g) leftover sauce, 1/2 cup (120 g) water, and 2 Tbsp (30 g) vinegar. It should taste slightly too punchy on its own, because it will mellow on the veg + rice. If it still tastes aggressively salty, add another 2–4 Tbsp (30–60 g) water.
Slaw: in a big bowl, toss 6 cups (450 g) shredded cabbage (and cucumber ~300 g, if using) with 3 Tbsp (45 g) vinegar, 2 Tbsp (25 g) sugar (or 20 g maple syrup), 2 Tbsp (30 g) oil, and 1–1 1/2 tsp (6–9 g) salt. It should taste bright and lightly sweet; it will dilute the salty glaze in the bowl.
Glaze the veg (and optionally the tofu)
When the vegetables are fully roasted, drizzle and toss them with about half the glaze (start with 1/2 cup / 120 g of glaze mixture). Return to the oven 5–7 minutes until the glaze looks tacky and shiny and you smell caramel notes (watch closely—sugars can scorch).
Optional: for “saucy tofu,” toss the crispy tofu with 2–4 Tbsp (30–60 g) glaze mixture right after it comes out. Keep it light so it stays crisp.
Assemble bowls (serve family-style)
Set out: rice, glazed vegetables, tofu, 10–12 oz (285–340 g) greens, and slaw.
For each bowl: start with rice, add a big handful of greens (they’ll wilt slightly from the hot veg), pile on glazed sweet potato + cauliflower and tofu, then top with slaw.
Finish with scallions (60 g), sesame seeds (35 g), herbs (75 g), and chili to taste. Pass extra glaze at the table, thinned with a splash of water if needed.
Tip: If your greens are tougher (kale/chard), quickly ribbon them and massage with 1 tsp (5 g) oil and a pinch of salt for 30 seconds; they should turn darker and feel more tender.
Salt control: the rice and slaw are your buffers. If the finished bowls still skew salty, add more plain rice, more greens/slaw, and thin any extra glaze with water + a touch more vinegar.
Notes
Sauce amount: This is written for 1 cup (240 g) reduced blended sauce. If you have less, prioritize glazing the vegetables (they carry the flavor) and keep tofu unglazed and extra-crispy.
Greens: Any CSA greens work. Tender greens go in raw; tougher greens (kale/chard) are best ribboned and lightly massaged or briefly sautéed.
Make-ahead: Roast veg and tofu up to 3 days ahead. Store separately so tofu stays crisper. Reheat on a sheet pan at 425°F / 218°C until hot and re-crisped; add glaze only in the last few minutes.
Gluten-free check: Ensure your leftover sauce ingredients were gluten-free (some fish sauces/soy sauces aren’t).