Mint Pesto Pasta with Tofu
This Mint Pesto Pasta with Tofu has bright and zesty flavors, easy to make, and a perfect way to utilize all that wild mint growing in your yard!
Servings: 4 bowls
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz Pasta penne, farfalle (bow tie, rotini, spaghetti, linguine, conchiglie (shells) are a few of my favorites)
Tofu
- 15 oz Package of Extra Firm Tofu
- Drizzle of oil
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼-½ tsp salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For the Pesto
- 4 cups fresh young mint leaves (wash, de-stem, and pat dry)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup walnuts or ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt to taste
- dash of black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
For the Veggies
- ½ of a yellow onion chopped
- 3 cups broccoli roughly chopped
- ½-1 of a Zucchini sliced in rounds and then quartered
- Red or orange bell pepper chopped or cut into matchsticks
- For Serving
- cherry tomatoes sliced
- vegan parmesan optional
Instructions
- Press the tofu to get the moisture out. I cut mine in half length-wise, wrap in a clean kitchen towel, and place something weighted on top like a cast iron pan or a pot and let sit 5-10 minutes.
- Prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch mint for about 30 seconds. Drain water using a colander and quickly transfer leaves to an ice bath. Drain water, then pat leaves dry with a clean towel, making sure to get moisture out, otherwise your pesto will be watery!
- Place walnuts and garlic in a food processor and process until chopped. Add mint leaves, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and pulse until a paste forms, stopping a few times to scrape the sides. Open the food processor, remove the blade, and drizzle in the olive oil 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring to combine. (Hand mixing the oil will help prevent the pesto from being bitter!) Add anything more to-taste.
- Cut tofu into cubes and place in a medium-sized skillet with a drizzle of oil. Add all the spices under the "Tofu" section and stir to combine. Cook on medium heat until tofu browns, 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat with a splash of water or oil and sauté onions until softened. Add broccoli and cook for several minutes, then add zucchini. Cook until veggies are tender but not mushy. Turn off heat and stir in bell pepper.
- Toss the noodles with the mint pesto, then stir in the cooked veggies. Serve immediately and top with sliced cherry tomatoes and optional vegan parmesan.
Notes
*Pesto Pasta keeps in the fridge in a well-sealed container for 4-5 days.
*The pesto by itself freezes well, but use within 1-3 months.