Silken Tofu Pasta Sauce

Creamy, rich & high protein vegan pasta sauce packed with goodness of tofu, spinach, garlic is so easy to make & gets ready in less than 20 minutes. It is nut free, dairy free, gluten free and turns out absolutely delicious.

This spinach tofu pasta makes for a perfect comforting meal and requires just handful of basic ingredients. You can customise the recipe by pairing the sauce with gluten-free/ lentil-pasta or add in sautéed vegetables of choice to make it more wholesome.

My recipe here is inspired from Indian dish ‘Palak Paneer‘ where tender paneer cubes (cottage cheese) are served with luscious hearty spinach curry. Instead of paneer, I have used tofu and that too its ‘silken’ variety to give natural creaminess to the sauce.

Tofu Pasta Ingredients:

Pasta– I have used short pasta variety ‘fusilli’ but you can opt for any dried pasta of your choice like penne, spaghetti or fettucine.

Spinach– To make this green pasta sauce, you can use baby spinach, regular spinach or even frozen spinach for the sauce. If you are using fresh spinach, make sure the leaves are crisp and spotless. To use frozen spinach, thaw and strain it first. Along with spinach, you can also add handful of fresh basil for more aroma and flavour.

Tofu– There are different varieties of tofu available in market like firm tofu, extra firm tofu & silken tofu. The firm variety is suitable for sautéing, stir frying or air frying in recipes like sweet sour tofu, crispy air fryer tofu etc whereas silken tofu has soft, creamy texture and suitable for making sauces, dips or even desserts like pudding.

In this recipe, I have used Fortune brand silken-tofu (use any brand of choice). A 100 gms serving of silken tofu has approx 4.8 to 5 gms of protein. It is difficult to find silken tofu in India so I got this especially from Singapore during my return. If you have any other favourite brand that works good for such recipes, do share in the comments section below.

Nutritional Yeast– It works as a hero ingredient when you want to add cheesy-umami taste to vegan recipes. You can add it in sauces, soups, marinades, sprinkle over salads or popcorn for a kick of flavour. In this tofu pasta sauce also, it works as a great substitute for cheese & its quantity can be adjusted as per your liking.

Seasoning & Lemon Juice– The pasta is seasoned with simple salt, black pepper & chilli flakes. If you are making it for kids or prefer zero-spicy food then skip chilli flakes. The lemon juice is a must add in the sauce as it balances the spinach flavour & creaminess from tofu.

Optional Add-Ins- If you want to makes the sauce even thicker, then use cashews or pistachios for it. Soak the nuts in hot water for 15 minutes to soften them up and then blend them with the sauce.

Can I use firm or extra firm tofu?

Yes, you may use firm or extra firm tofu but they may not blend as smoothly. Also you will have to add some plant based milk like soy or coconut milk to add back the moisture which is naturally present in silken tofu.

Variations:

I tried making tofu pasta sauce with only onion & garlic also but it felt as if it was lacking something and needed some kind of more flavour like mushroom, tomatoes or spinach to balance the overall flavours.

For me spinach worked perfectly but its other variations can easily be created with mushrooms (refer to this spinach mushroom pasta recipe) or skip spinach and blend tofu with marinara sauce like we did in this cottage cheese pasta sauce recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: (For 2 servings)

Fusilli Pasta* (dried / uncooked)- 2 cups (200 gms or 7 oz.)
Silken Tofu- 150 gms (~5.3 oz)
Spinach (chopped)- 5 cups (200 gms or 7 oz.)
Nutritional Yeast- 2 tbsp
Garlic (minced)- 2 cloves
Onion (chopped)- 1 small
Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
Olive Oil- 1 + 1/2 tsp
Chilli Flakes- 1/4 tsp (optional)
Black pepper (crushed)- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
Fresh Basil / Vegan Parmesan- For garnishing

*Feel free to use any pasta variety of you choice.

Directions:

Step 1:
Add 4-5 cups of water along with 1 tsp salt to a large pot and bring it to rolling boil. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the time mentioned on packet instructions (as we will cook it later in pasta sauce also) Strain it while reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Keep aside.

Step 2:
In a pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion, chilli flakes (if using). Sauté for 1-2 min till onion turns slightly translucent in colour. Add spinach to it and cook while stirring in between till it wilts completely.

Step 3:
Add this cooked spinach to a blending jar along with silken tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Blend to get smooth pasta sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as per your taste (check tips at the end of post for variations).

Step 4:
Pour this spinach tofu sauce back to the pan and add boiled pasta to it. Mix gently & simmer the pasta in sauce for 2-3 minutes to complete its cooking. If required, add reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan, vegan parmesan (check tips), nutritional yeast or fresh basil before serving.

Any leftover pasta can be store in fridge in an airtight container easily for upto 2 days. Add a splash of water before reheating in microwave.

Tips:

To this pasta sauce, you can also add 1/4 cup fresh basil / 1 to 2 tbsp basil pesto. For more creamy texture you can add cashews (soaked in hot water for 15 min) or coconut milk while blending.
Instead of regular spinach, you can even use baby spinach. If you want to use frozen spinach, thaw it first, strain it over a colander to remove all the excess water and then use in the recipe.
To make quick vegan parmesan, coarsely grind 15-20 cashews with 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a big pinch of salt.
To make this silken tofu pasta more filling, you can add in some sautéed / air fried mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes.
If you don’t have tofu and fine with using dairy, then replace it with paneer (tried it and it tasted good too). If using store bought paneer, then first soak it in warm water for 10 minutes to soften it.

More easy vegetarian or vegan pasta recipes:

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