Lemon Cashew-Cream Pasta with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes & Pesto Tofu
Yield: 2-4
Creamy Lemon Pasta with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes & Pesto Tofu
This creamy pasta makes a great weeknight vegan dinner as it comes together in about 30 minutes. The sweet and tangy Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes and Roasted Pesto Tofu and Garbanzos complement the lemon cashew cream for a delicious treat.
Ingredients
Lemon Cashew-Cream Pasta
- ½ lb pasta
- ½ c cashews
- ¾ c water
- Zest and juice of 1-2 lemons (~½ cup of juice)
- ¼ c nutritional yeast
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- Pinch of salt
Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 pt cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp oregano
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Roasted Pesto Tofu & Garbanzo Beans
- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes or small triangles
- 1 (14.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ c plant-based pesto
- 1 Tbsp oil
Instructions
Lemon Cashew-Cream Pasta
- Boil pasta according to package directions.
- Add the cashews, water, lemon zest and juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic cloves to the pitcher of your blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Set sauce aside while pasta finishes cooking. Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, reserve a mug or cup of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce at the end.
- Drain the pasta and return the empty pot to the stove.
- Add the sauce to the pot and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a light boil. Once bubbling, cook the sauce, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until it has thickened up.
- Return pasta to the pot and stir to coat in the sauce.
- Taste and season with salt if desired, thinning with the reserved pasta water or a splash of water if necessary.
- Top with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto Tofu/Garbanzos (see below).
Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- To a parchment-lined baking sheet, add tomatoes, oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper.
- Mix everything together to coat the tomatoes in the spices, oil, and vinegar and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until tomatoes are popping and releasing their juices.
Roasted Pesto Tofu & Garbanzo Beans
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- To a parchment-lined baking sheet, add tofu, garbanzo beans, pesto, and oil.
- Gently mix everything together to coat the tofu and garbanzo beans in the pesto, being careful not to break the tofu, and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the beans are just beginning to dry out and the tofu is just beginning to brown at the edges.
Notes
- In step 2 of the Lemon Cashew-Cream Pasta, the blended sauce will be very thin. This is okay as it will thicken up considerably when you cook it quickly before adding the pasta.
- To help everything come together in about 30 minutes, I would recommend putting your pasta water on to boil and then getting the tofu/garbanzos and tomatoes into the oven to roast while the water is heating. Once the water is boiling, get your pasta cooking in the water and then blend up the lemon cream sauce. Doing things in this order should help everything to finish cooking at about the same time.