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    Home » Pasta

    Creamy Tofu Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes (No cook sauce!)

    Published: May 14, 2024 · Modified: Aug 28, 2024 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 3 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This deliciously creamy tofu pasta with sundried tomatoes is simple to make, is packed with tangy garlicky tomatoey flavor and best of all, the sauce requires no cooking! It's a great super quick and easy mid-week dinner plus is perfect for meal prep too.

    A plate of pasta with a sauce made from blended creamy tofu and sundried tomatoes. There is another plate of pasta in the background, some basil leaves on top of the pasta. this recipe

    This pasta is one of my go-tos when I'm super hungry and want something that's healthy but quick! The silken tofu provides a protein boost, plus the sun-dried tomatoes are so flavorful you'll want to sneak them to snack on while you wait for the pasta water to boil.

    I think this creamy tofu and sundried tomato pasta recipe is nearly as quick as pesto pasta, and definitely has more protein!

    If you're a fan of pasta (because who isn't) you need to try my Garlicky White Beans & Greens Pasta which is also super quick to make. Or this Creamy Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Basil Sauce which has also has a creamy tofu based sauce. And if you're the sort of person who likes to add a little 'something' to their pasta, this Pangrattato - aka Crispy bread crumbs for pasta is the perfect topping to create texture and flavor.

    Jump to:
    • 🍅Ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳Instructions
    • 🌶️Substitutions & Variations
    • 🔪Equipment
    • 🫙Storage
    • Top tip
    • ❓FAQ
    • More Pasta Recipes
    • Yummy Salads
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 🌶️Substitutions & Variations
    • 💬 Comments

    🍅Ingredients

    Make sure you have all the right ingredients so you can make this creamy pasta sauce perfectly the first try!

    Ingredients for the creamy tofu pasta laid out ready to use.
    1. Silken Tofu- is a soft tofu. Tofu nutritional powerhouse and comes in a variety of textures. For this recipe to work, silken tofu is best, as it blends up to a lush creamy texture. You can get silken tofu in long life Tetra packs (so handy) or fresh from some supermarkets or specialty health food or Asian stores.
    2. Sundried Tomatoes in olive oil- I like using the slightly herby jar of sun-dried tomatoes that you would nibble on as part of a snack board. If you can't find the ones in oil, you will need to soak the sun dried tomatoes in hot water.
    3. Nutritional Yeast-cheesy and delicious! Choose the variety of nutritional yeast flakes with B12 as that's a vitamin that most people are lacking.
    4. Fresh Garlic (or garlic powder)- you choose your level of garlic! I like one or two cloves of fresh garlic to keep the vampires at bay.
    5. Kalamata Olives- or other good quality pitted olives. I like the depth of flavor that the olives bring to the creamy sauce.
    6. Balsamic Vinegar- for a little bit of sweetness and tang. You could also use a squeeze of lemon juice instead.
    7. Pasta of choice- choose your favorite pasta type! If you want a ton of protein go for a chickpea or lentil pasta, or just your fave durham wheat pasta. (The pasta I use in the photos is called Radiatori. It kind of looks like little oil radiators!)
    8. Sea Salt and optional black pepper - for seasoning.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    👩‍🍳Instructions

    The creamy tofu sauce can be made in less than the time it takes to boil your pasta! Perfect for busy weeknights! So first of all, bring your pasta water to the boil and salt it well.

    Adding the ingredients for the tofu pasta sauce to a blender.

    1. In your blender or food processor add all the sauce ingredients. Make sure to add some of the flavorful oil that the sundried tomatoes come in.

    The ingredients for the tofu pasta sauce being blended.

    2.Blend for 1-2 minutes. You might need to push the sauce down with a spoon.

    The texture of the tofu pasta sauce after blending.

    3. The sauce is ready when it is thick and creamy and has a nice texture. Taste for salt or to see if you want to add more garlic or vinegar to balance the flavors.

    Mixing the tofu sauce with pasta before serving.

    4. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, reserve some of the pasta water and drain the pasta, then mix together the sauce, hot pasta and a little of the reserved pasta water.

    Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves, some chopped olives, vegan parmesan cheese and maybe a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you're feeling fancy you could also chop up some extra sundried tomatoes to toss through the pasta. Add a simple green salad for the ultimate family favorite dinner.

    Hint: Adding a little bit of the reserved pasta water to the sauce thins it out and helps the sauce coat the cooked pasta nicely.

    🌶️Substitutions & Variations

    This creamy sun dried tomato pasta recipe is easy to switch up for your own tastes!

    • Gluten-Free- the sauce for this recipe is already gluten-free, so choose your favorite gluten-free pasta. Or choose a gluten-free high protein pasta to increase the protein content of this pasta recipe.
    • Spicy Pasta - spice up this recipe with red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce when blending the pasta.
    • Pesto Sauce - replace the sundried tomatoes with your favorite pesto (Like my Easy Vegan Basil Pesto) for a creamy pesto sauce.
    • Sundried tomato paste- opt to use sundried tomato paste, perhaps with some Italian seasoning in place of the sweet sun-dried tomatoes.

    🔪Equipment

    You'll need a large saucepan for boiling the pasta, and a blender or food processor to blend the creamy tofu sauce.

    🫙Storage

    Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe makes a great meal prep as well as a quick dinner. Add extra flavor if you want to eat it cold by adding cherry tomatoes, a little diced onion or green onions.

    Top tip

    This is a great tofu recipe to try if you're not sure about the texture of cooked tofu, as it's blended up into a lovely cream sauce.

    ❓FAQ

    Is silken tofu the same as soft tofu?

    Silken tofu is also called soft or soft silk tofu. It has a creamy texture that falls apart, which makes it great for turning into creamy sauces or desserts.

    Is silken tofu healthier than regular tofu?

    Both types of tofu are healthy, however silken tofu has a greater water content, which makes it lower in calories, fat and protein.

    More Pasta Recipes

    Love pasta? Try my other yummy vegan pasta dishes!

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      Asparagus & Pea Spring Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
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      Vegan Tuna Casserole (Tu-no Noodle)
    • A pan of gnocchi broccoli bake ready to eat.
      Cheesy Gnocchi Broccoli Bake: Dairy Free

    Yummy Salads

    Add an extra burst of colour and flavor with one of these side salad ideas.

    • A plate of white bean salad with peppers and olives with some smaller plates and extra dressing in a pot in the background.
      Easy Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Olives
    • A plate of lentil salad with spiced roasted carrots ready to eat.
      Spiced Roasted Carrot and Lentil Salad
    • A plate of salad with grilled nectarines, arugula (rocket salad), raspberries and pistachio nuts.
      Grilled Nectarine (or Peach) Arugula Salad
    • Goma Dressing in a little bowl ready to eat.
      Goma Dressing: Japanese Roasted Sesame Salad Dressing

    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star ⭐this recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies, Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    📖 Recipe

    A plate of pasta with a sauce made from blended creamy tofu and sundried tomatoes. There is another plate of pasta in the background, some basil leaves on top of the pasta.

    Creamy Tofu Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes (No cook sauce!)

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    A super quick and easy pasta recipe made with protein-rich tofu and tasty sundried tomatoes.
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Total Time 14 minutes mins
    Course Entree, Main Course, Pasta
    Cuisine Italian, Vegan
    Servings 2
    Calories 767 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Saucepan
    • 1 Blender

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    • 250 g (9 oz) pasta (or more if you're hungry)
    • 1 teaspoon salt (for the pasta water)
    • 350 g (1 ½ cups) silken tofu
    • 125 g (1 cup) sundried tomatoes in oil (about half a small jar)
    • 50 g (½ cups) kalamata olives (without seeds)
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Put the pasta water on to boil. Once it's boiled add the salt and the pasta and cook to packet instructions.
      250 g pasta, 1 teaspoon salt
    • In a blender or food processor, add all the other ingredients, including a teaspoon of the tasty oil from the sundried tomatoes
      350 g silken tofu, 125 g sundried tomatoes in oil, 50 g kalamata olives, 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste
    • Blend the tofu and sundried tomato mixture until smooth and creamy.
    • Taste and add salt or more olives, or some extra balsamic vineger to taste.
    • Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the pasta water.
    • Mix the pasta with the sauce, adding a little of the pasta water to the pasta sauce and giving it all a good stir.
    • Serve hot, garnished with basil leaves and extra olives to sprinkle on top.

    Video

    Notes

    🌶️Substitutions & Variations

    This creamy sun dried tomato pasta recipe is easy to switch up for your own tastes!
    • Gluten-Free- the sauce for this recipe is already gluten-free, so choose your favorite gluten-free pasta. Or choose a gluten-free high protein pasta to increase the protein content of this pasta recipe.
    • Spicy Pasta - spice up this recipe with red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce when blending the pasta.
    • Pesto Sauce - replace the sundried tomatoes with your favorite pesto (Like my Easy Vegan Basil Pesto) for a creamy pesto sauce.
    • Sundried tomato paste- opt to use sundried tomato paste, perhaps with some Italian seasoning in place of the sweet sun-dried tomatoes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 767kcalCarbohydrates: 119gProtein: 32gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 1737mgPotassium: 1748mgFiber: 11gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 902IUVitamin C: 64mgCalcium: 128mgIron: 5mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

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    1. Karen Vasquez says

      July 01, 2024 at 3:41 pm

      is there an oil free option?

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        July 01, 2024 at 5:14 pm

        HI Karen,
        If you choose sundried tomatoes that have not been preserved in oil (you can buy these in some specialty stores and delis) and soak them in hot water you can use those to replace the sundried tomatoes that have been preserved in oil. OR you can choose regular sundried tomatoes and pat the oil from them and use those (for a lower oil option). You might need to add a little extra water to thin out the sauce.

        Reply
    2. Liz says

      May 29, 2024 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      It was a delightful and innovative dish that combined simplicity with rich flavors!

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

    I'm a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. You'll find me in the kitchen, in the studio or wandering the garden, picking delicious veggies to make recipes for you! So why not stay a while, check out some of my recipes and try one or two for yourself...Find out more on my About Me page.

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    A plate of pasta with a sauce made from blended creamy tofu and sundried tomatoes. There is another plate of pasta in the background, some basil leaves on top of the pasta.

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