Description
Tofu Pasta Sauce is a super easy way to get more plant-based protein in your meals! This creamy sauce comes together in just 5 minutes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 Package of Silken Tofu (454 g): (See Note 1)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (see Note 3)
- 1-2 Fire Roasted Red Pepper Slices From a Jar, optional (see Note 4)
- 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 3 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Black Pepper to Taste
- 16 oz Pasta of Choice: Both long and short pastas work great with this sauce!
Instructions
- Boil Water: Start a pot of water for your pasta on high heat and then let it come to a boil. Add you pasta and stir occasionally. NOTE: if you are making any adjustments to the recipe, you may wish to reserve some of your pasta water to add to the blender.
- Add to Blender: Take all of your ingredients and add then to a high-speed blender. Blend for about 30 to 45 seconds. Make adjustments as needed... such as extra salt, lemon, etc. Is your sauce too thick? Add a splash of water (bonus points for using pasta water/water ladled from the cooking pot of pasta. This starchy water will help the sauce adhere to your pasta better!). Sauce too thin? Well, that's a little harder to fix, but you can add more tofu, some strained canned white beans, nutritional yeast, instant potato flakes, or raw nuts/seeds to make it thicker!
- Add to Finished Pasta: Once pasta is tender, strain it and then add the sauce to the emptied pot. Then add back the pasta and combine. Then plate and enjoy!
Notes
- Note 1: Unlike regular tofu, silken tofu only needs to be slightly drained on opening. It is soft, almost like liquid. You'll want to grab a small spatula and scrape it out into your blender.
- Note 2: You can use other tofu if that's what you've got! The thicker or more firm the tofu, the more liquid you might need to blend it. For example, extra firm tofu can still become a sauce! Try adding a half cup of pasta water (or more as needed).
- Note 3: You could make this oil-free, though you may miss an element of richness. Tahini is a replacement that should pair well with the rest of the ingredients. A cashew cream or sunflower seed cream works great too! If you just want to use a different type of oil, then avocado oil or canola oil can work in a pinch.
- Note 4: You can skip the pepper if you want. But if you want that smokey sweet flavor that the pepper provides there are other options. You could add sun-dried tomatoes or half a can of roasted diced tomatoes in place of the pepper. You could also add a little agave and liquid smoke.
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Sauce
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American, Pasta