Description
A creamy, nutritious silken tofu pasta sauce with fresh spinach and nutritional yeast, perfect for a quick, vegan-friendly meal that’s both comforting and healthy. This recipe combines vibrant greens with smooth tofu to create a luscious sauce that coats your favorite pasta beautifully.
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 2 cups (200 g or 7 oz) dried fusilli pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
For the Sauce
- 150 g (~5.3 oz) silken tofu
- 5 cups (200 g or 7 oz) chopped spinach
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp salt (to taste)
For Garnishing
- Fresh basil leaves or vegan Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil the Pasta: Add 4-5 cups of water and 1 tsp salt to a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package instructions to prevent overcooking, as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
- Sauté Aromatics and Spinach: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped onion, and chili flakes if using. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the onion turns slightly translucent. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach wilts completely.
- Blend the Sauce: Transfer the sautéed spinach mixture to a blender. Add silken tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Pour the blended spinach tofu sauce back into the pan. Add the partially cooked pasta to the sauce and gently mix to combine. Simmer the pasta in the sauce for 2-3 minutes to finish cooking and allow flavors to meld. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water gradually to reach desired consistency.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve the pasta hot, garnished with fresh basil leaves, vegan Parmesan, or additional nutritional yeast as preferred.
Notes
- You can substitute fusilli with any pasta variety you prefer.
- Adjust chili flakes according to your spice tolerance or omit them entirely for a milder sauce.
- For a nutty flavor, you may add a small handful of toasted nuts like pine nuts or walnuts into the blender.
- If vegan Parmesan is unavailable, nutritional yeast alone adds a cheesy flavor to the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water is helpful to adjust sauce consistency without diluting flavor.
- This recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled for more servings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
