This simple to put together pasta dish is as comforting as it is fresh. It’s bursting with flavour and balanced with a slight sweetness from the tomatoes and a spicy edge from the chilli.
This dish can be enjoyed warm or cold so can make the perfect dish for lunch or dinner. It’s packed with iron and protein which are great for energy levels. Tofu is packed with a range of health benefits and is fantastic at absorbing any flavour you put with it, so makes the perfect backdrop to this dish.
Prep: 15 minutes(plus marinating time for the tofu)
Cook: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
- 200g (half a pack) of firm to extra firm tofu (to give extra flavour, you can use smoked tofu)
- 200g dried pasta shapes (whichever you prefer)
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful of basil leaves, washed and drained
- 1 handful of spinach leaves, washed and drained
- 2 tablespoons vegan/dairy free plain yoghurt
- 1 fresh red chilli, if you prefer a less spicy dish, remove the seeds or use less chilli
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil for frying
For the tofu marinade
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon bouillon stock powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard (English or French work well)
- 1 teaspoon tomato purée
- 4 tablespoons water
First, prepare the tofu and marinade. Mix the marinade ingredients together to form a paste/dressing. If needed, and depending on the shape of your tofu, water down the marinade to suit. Remove tofu from packaging and drain. In a reusable tub, cover the tofu with the marinade, pop on the lid and shake. Leave in the fridge to marinade for two hours, but ideally overnight.
Once the tofu is marinaded, remove from the liquid. In a non stick frying pan, add the olive oil and heat. Whilst the pan is heating, boil a kettle of water. Chop the tofu into bite sized cubes. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and fry on all sides until crispy.
Once the kettle had boiled, add to a large saucepan and add a pinch of salt. Once at the boil, add the dried pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
Wash and drain your spinach and basil. Chop into bite sized pieces. Depending on how much chilli you want to use, cut the chilli into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
Once you’ve chipped your salad items, mix together in a medium salad bowl. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil.
When the tofu is crispy, remove from the heat and leave to sit for 1 minute. Then add to the salad ingredients in your bowl and mix.
Check your pasta is cooked, remove from the heat and drain. Add to the salad ingredients alongside the vegan yoghurt and mix.
Season to taste and serve!