Thumpy Rose So, how do you enjoy your tofu? As a matter of fact, there are numerous recipes with firm tofu you can sample to tickle your taste buds and most of those have one pot meal ideas. Have you considered a mix of tofu and pesto in a meal? Here’s a fresh, creamy, and vibrant serving of tofu pesto pasta that might end up being one of your cherished budget-friendly vegetarian meals. Our pesto pasta with tomatoes is one of those nutritious vegetarian pasta recipes that come together in a snap. Cooking with fresh tomatoes for juiciness isn’t scary. We’ll show you how.
Meanwhile, please tell us your best tofu ideas in the comments… OR those that went south.
Video Tutorial
Related: How to fry tofu with less oil and make it taste good
Related: Roasted Tomatoes In Creamy Pasta
Popular Creative Tofu Recipe
The moment I published this recipe on youtube, it gain popularity instantly. Quick backstory, I like to eat African foods primarily. But, I also enjoy experiencing other foods from Western countries. I’ve had pesto pasta when I used to eat meat and the experience was never like this. With this tofu pesto pasta, I decided to experiment with tomatoes. I had excess broccoli so I figured, why not add broccoli for extra nutrients. The result created a sensation that really surprised me because I do a lot of whacky mixy-boxa combo and I’m always cool with it. For example, the pita bread with seitan combo might be a total fail to some people. Sure I ate it as dinner, but I will not ever cook this combo again because it turned out dry.
However, pesto pasta with tomatoes is heavenly just like cooking with fresh tomatoes can be. So, I took a leap of faith in publishing this recipe, considering Humble Vege focuses on authentic African foods. Some things are too delicious to be kept secret. I wanted to share it and add this meal to the beloved list of recipes with firm tofu for those who are interested. Well, it turned out the crowd loves it. Budget-friendly vegetarian meals like this one I can whip up no matter what financial situation I’m in. Plus, this creamy, decadent, and nutritious tofu pesto pasta honestly kicked things. It can certainly be another one pot meal ideas if the pasta tomatoes sauce thing gets boring.
Related: Honey mustard pasta salad with tofu
To Sample Or Meal Prep Pesto?
Once I tasted it, I wanted more but I couldn’t have more because it was an experiment so I only made 1.5 servings amount. This meal will definitely inspire a jumping for joy reaction once you taste it. The ingredients are simple to put together and getting store-bought pesto makes it easier too.
Though, you can choose to make your own pesto at home and add in or omit preferred herbs or greens. Traditionally, Italians used mortar and pestle to literally pound ingredients to make pesto sauce. Either way, all we need is pesto to hearten our tofu, pasta, and tomatoes meal.
That said, you can meal prep tofu pesto pasta and store it in an airtight container for three to five days (3-5 days).
We hope you love this meal as much as we do. Ready to learn more? Browse our dinner recipe ideas and subscribe to our Newsletters for more! What other vegetables did you add to the mix? Comment below and be sure to share this inspiration with your tribe. Curious about a no-animal-meat food lifestyle? Peep instagram to see what I eat live.
Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipe
This meal will definitely inspire a reaction inside you and make you jump up and down once you taste it. The ingredients are simple to put together and getting storebought pesto makes it easier too. It is also a pocket-friendly vegetarian meal. We for sure have a tasty and healthy recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups pasta (keep some of the water)
- 1 block tofu fried
- Half cup pasta water
- 1 TBSP grapeseed oil
- 1/4cup pesto sauce (storebought)
- 2 cups broccoli
- half cup grape tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
1. To prepare this easy vegetarian meal, first, boil two cups of raw pasta and use the package instructions. Be sure to set aside half a cup of pasta water to be used later.
2. When the pasta is fully cooked, remove it from the heat and set it aside. Be sure to rinse the pasta in cold water to prevent it from sticking together.
3. Peel and Wash two garlic cloves. Using a chopping board, cut them into very small pieces (minced). Thereafter, add one teaspoon of cooking oil (recommend avocado) to a saucepan. Here you can also substitute the oil with real butter and you will still have the same great results. Turn the heat to low-medium. Once the oil heats up, add the minced garlic in the cooking pan.
6. Stir the garlic and cook until the garlic becomes light brown or fragrant. This should take 1 minute. At this point, with your garlic fully cooked, go ahead and add two cups of frozen broccoli. Stir until fully combined.
8. Next, add a quarter teaspoon of salt and further stir until the broccoli softens. This should take two minutes for the broccoli to soften on medium heat.
9. Then using your cooking spoon, slide your broccoli aside on the pan to create space for tomatoes. Use half a cup of pre-washed grape tomatoes. Slice each tomato in half and place it in the saucepan while stirring gently (do not mash the tomatoes). Next, add homemade fried tofu and stir into the tomato mixture. At this stage reduce the heat completely to low.
10. At this point, bring in the boiled pasta and add to the cooking pan with the broccoli and tomatoes mixture and stir to combine.
11. Next, add a one-fourth cup of pesto sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine. Add half a cup of pasta water to the meal and stir gently. At this point, you can choose to add in some oat milk. 3 tablespoons of Oat milk should be fine. This is purely optional and you can use other plant milk if you have it.
12. Close your cooking pan or pot with a lid and allow the meal to simmer on low heat for ten minutes or until the liquid reduces. You don't want it dry so leave it juicy 😉
13. After that, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat source. You can add in a pinch of dried pepper flakes (optional).
14. Your tofu pesto pasta is ready for you to enjoy.
Notes
I hope this tofu pesto pasta recipe will give you joy; it's certainly my go to home-made fast-food. Enjoy this easy vegetarian pasta that is budget-friendly. Feel free to be creative in your cooking.
