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Tofu Florentine Pasta

What you need: 

2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
2 teaspoons dried parsley, divided
2 teaspoons salt and pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
6 cloves garlic, 3 minced and 3 peeled
1 lemon, zested
1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu
1/4 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 (14 1/2 ounce) box angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu, frozen overnight and then thawed in refrigerator, 1" cubes
1 red onion, chopped
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

What you do: 

1. Put a large pot of salted water on the stovetop and put the heat on high. Pull a large skillet out for the vegetables and tofu, and get the blender ready. In the blender, measure 1/2 the oregano, 1/2 the parsley, 1/2 the salt, 1/2 the pepper, and all the basil and nutritional yeast. Add 3 peeled garlic cloves, juice from 1/2 the lemon, firm tofu, vegan butter, and vegetable stock into the blender. Fire it up and blend until everything is smooth and creamy. Taste and add more seasonings if desired. Set aside.
2. When the water gets to a boil, add the angel hair pasta and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squeezed tofu and stir so that it soaks up the oil evenly. Continue cooking tofu about 5 minutes until it starts turning a light golden color.
3. Add remaining seasonings and lemon zest while it is cooking. After stirring in seasonings, add chopped red onion and minced garlic. When the onions get tender, add the spinach. Cook until heated through. Squeeze the other half of the lemon into the pan. Adjust seasonings as desired.
4. Drain pasta when it is ready. While it's in the strainer, dump the creamy tofu sauce into the pot and put back on the burner. I like to heat the sauce up just a little bit. Add the pasta back into the pot with the warm sauce and stir so the pasta is evenly coated.
5. Plate the pasta first and cover with a scoop of the tofu/spinach mixture. Sprinkle the diced tomatoes generously on top. I think the bright red tomatoes, purple onions, and green spinach are just beautiful on the creamy white angel hair pasta! Enjoy!
Source of recipe: I couldn't find a recipe online that contained all the flavors I was craving tonight e as well as the ingredients I had on hand. So I poured myself a glass of wine and just threw everything I wanted together in whatever way made sense to me. It turned out kind of awesome! So. this is the first recipe I'm posting here. I hope it tastes as good to you as it does to me.

Preparation Time: 
10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 
20 minutes
Servings: 
4
Recipe Category: 

SO HOW'D IT GO?

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