8 Italian Recipes with Tofu in the Starring Role

"You'll just about swear this is eggplant or veal!" says Jill B. Mittelstadt. "Breaded tofu a la parmigiana. One of my husband's favorites, and he doesn't even suspect! Serve with a simple crisp green salad, angel hair pasta, and garlic bread."

Tofu is combined with eggs, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and spices. The mixture is layered with lasagna noodles and topped with more cheese. "Good for people who aren't reluctant to try tofu," says M.PERRY. "After this lasagna you and your guests will love it!"

Red and orange bell peppers are filled with a mixture of uncooked brown rice, marinara sauce, diced extra-firm tofu, and mozarella cheese. "Italian style stuffed bell peppers for the vegetarian (can easily be prepared vegan)," says N1COLE. "Even my meat-eating husband loved these."

This hearty lasagna features layers of smoked tofu, eggplant, cremini mushrooms, and kale. "This recipe came together at the spur of the moment, but has quickly become a favorite in our home for vegetarians and meat eaters alike," says nofussvegetarian. "Feel free to adjust the spices to your own taste. This recipe could be adapted to be vegan using vegan cheese."

Breaded tofu simmers in a lemon sauce with artichoke hearts and capers. "Be sure to freeze the tofu," says marsto911. "The tofu texture changes into a more meat-like texture after freezing."

These tofu meatballs are seasoned with Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and baked to golden brown. "They're the same as Italian meatballs but with tofu," says orb205. "I had to go through many recipes and cobble pieces together to get something that tasted normal. Olive oil helps them crisp up in the oven. I ate these with basic marinara and they were delicious."

You'll stuff jumbo pasta shells with a creamy mixture of tofu, grated carrot, shredded zucchini, chopped onions, and three cheeses, and bake them in a savory tomato sauce. "No one will ever know that these giant pasta shells contain tofu...unless you tell!" says CookingForDummies.

This vegan lasagna features layers of tofu, spinach mixture, and a tomato-based sauce with minced garlic, onion, parsley, and basil. "The meat eaters vegetarians and vegans all liked this!" says Brookexox. "My meat eating significant other remarked he loved how it seemed much "lighter" and appreciated that it wasn't as heavy and greasy as many meat and cheese heavy lasagnas."