Pesto pasta is among the most distinctive and delicious pasta recipes you can prepare. If you have previously had pesto, then you are familiar with its flavour. This dish combines your preferred pasta with a pesto sauce prepared from tofu.
Instead of extra oil and fat, this pesto is packed with plant-based protein and taste! This light and delicious dinner feature fresh basil, creamy tofu, whole-wheat pasta, crunchy walnuts, and a dash of lemon.
So if you don’t know how to make tofu pesto pasta, this article is about Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipes. We will mention various tofu pesto pasta recipes so that you can make one you like. So, let’s get started.
Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipes
1) Tasty Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
- Tofu 400g
- 250g dried pasta
- 200g bag fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup cashew nuts
- ½ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup fresh basil & dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 head broccoli
- 2 tbsps nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon
- 4 cloves of garlic
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt & Black pepper
Instructions:
- Place the pine nuts in a skillet and dry-fry for up to five minutes. They should be golden brown but not burnt and turn quickly if left unattended.
- Toss the basil, oregano, cashews, almonds, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor or mixer until smooth.
- As necessary, drizzle additional olive oil to achieve the desired consistency.
- If the pesto is too dry, add a splash or two of soy or almond milk, but not too much because you want it to adhere to the pasta.
- Cut a block of tofu into little cubes after pressing it. Fry the cubes in a tablespoon of olive oil until they are crisp, and season with pepper and salt while they are cooking.
- Now, prepare your preferred pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions. Drain, then return to the pot and stir in the pesto.
- Add the cooked broccoli, green olives, and fresh spinach leaves to the spaghetti and thoroughly coat.
- Add a dash of tamari and pepper and salt to taste. If you enjoy a bit of heat, stir in 1 tsp of chili flakes.
- Transfer to serving bowls and top with tofu cubes.
- Here is your tasty Tofu Pesto Pasta
2) Vegan Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Pine Nuts
- Cashews
- Nutritional Yeast
- Cornstarch
- Basil
- Lemon
- Dried Basil
- Garlic
- Pasta
- Water
- Salt & Pepper
Directions:
- Prepare the cashews by soaking them overnight. The cashews will become softer and simpler to combine into a smooth sauce as a result of this step.
- Pressing the tofu is the next stage in the recipe. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, dried basil, and salt and pepper with the cubed tofu.
- Add the tofu to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss until evenly coated.
- Bake the basil tofu for 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the tofu bakes, prepare the pasta al dente. Simply use egg-free pasta to make this recipe vegan.
- After cashews have been soaked, tofu has been baked, and pasta has been cooked, it is time to prepare the vegan pesto pasta sauce.
- Use cashews to make this vegan pesto pasta velvety. To impart the characteristic pesto flavor, pine nuts and basil are used. To impart a cheese flavor, nutritional yeast is used. And to bring everything together, add salt for flavor and enough water to create a creamy sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the mixed vegan pesto and stir to combine. Stir the noodles until they are thoroughly coated.
- Add fresh basil and crispy baked tofu to the pasta before serving.
Notes:
- For baking, extra-firm tofu is the finest option. Extra-firm tofu is easier to crisp in the oven since it has less liquid in it, to begin with, rather than pressing it before baking.
- Cashews are essential to the pesto sauce’s creamy texture, and it’s difficult to find a suitable substitute.
3) Mushroom touch Tofu Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
- 200 g pasta
- 300 g tofu
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 bunch basil
- ½ lemon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g tomato
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ½ bunch of silverbeet green leaves
Directions:
- Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the package.
- Add basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor. Whirl until chopped finely.
- While the motor is still running, add oil gently. Add tofu and stir thoroughly.
- In a frying pan, cook the onion for two to three minutes. Allow the silver beet leaves to soften before adding. Cook the mushrooms and tomatoes until they begin to lose their form.
- Drain the pasta, then combine it with pesto pasta and sautéed vegetables.
- Voila! Here’s your tasty Tofu Pesto Pasta
Bottom Line
These were our most liked three unique and delicious tofu pesto pasta recipes. Use salt and pepper according to your taste. You can even experiment with your own ingredients and get some new taste out of it.
We hope this article was helpful & informative. Please leave your valuable thoughts & suggestions in the comments below!
Thank you for reading!