Marry me pasta with a smoky, creamy sauce topped with seared, sliced tofu is an easy meal that is absolutely addictive. Everyday ingredients! Options for Soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the Pasta

  • 6 ounces pasta of choice (cooked according to instructions on the package. Use gluten-free if needed. (Pictured chiocciole pasta))

For the Tofu

  • 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 15 minutes, then sliced into 1/2” thick slabs)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons oil

For the Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons oil (from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, or use olive oil)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon flour (Use rice flour or chickpea flour for gluten-free.)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomato (oil packed or dried)
  • 1 1/2 cups non dairy milk (Such as almond, cashew, oat or soy milk. use soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed)
  • 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan (plus more for garnish, use soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed)
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt (or non dairy cream or vegan sour cream or cream cheese. Use soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed.)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (plus more for garnish)

Method

Make the pasta.

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, if you haven't already, in salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water, then add a few drops of olive oil, and toss well. Set aside while you make the sauce.

Make the tofu.

  1. Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes, and slice into 1/2” slabs. Then, in a shallow bowl or on a plate, add the salt, pepper, paprika, and cornstarch, and mix really well.
  2. Take each slab of tofu, and place it in the bowl, and flip it around to coat it with the mixture. Repeat for all of the tofu.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu slabs to the skillet and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side until nice and crispy. Then, remove from the skillet and set aside. Slice Just before serving

Make the sauce.

  1. Heat the same skillet that you used for the tofu over medium heat. Add the oil from the from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes or olive oil. Once the oil is hot, then add the garlic and mix in for 5 to 10 seconds.
  2. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt, and cook until the onion is translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally and add splashes of water to help the onion cook evenly.
  3. Mix all of the spices, herbs, salt, and flour into the onion mixture, and cook for half a minute, then mix in the tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of the non-dairy milk, and press and mix really well to pick up all of the tomato paste, flour, and spices, so that they don't lump up. Once the mixture is homogeneous, add in the rest of the non-dairy milk, the vegan parmesan, and the non-dairy yogurt or cream, if using. Mix well and bring to a boil.
  5. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and flavor. Then, add the cooked pasta, to ss well, and switch off the heat. If the sauce is too thick, you can stir in some more non-dairy milk before you switch off the heat. Let it start to simmer, then switch off the heat.
  6. Mix in the fresh basil, then plate the pasta by dishing it into bowls and topping it with the crisped and sliced paprika tofu, more fresh herbs, and vegan parmesan! And wait for a proposal.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.