One-Pan Creamy Silken Tofu Pasta with Broccoli
This is one of those dinners I make when I get in from a run, need something balanced and filling but can't face washing up more than one pan. Silken tofu blends into a delicious creamy sauce, and because the pasta cooks right there in the sauce, all that starch goes straight into making it even silkier. It tastes indulgent but it's packed with plant protein, and it's on the table in about 20 minutes, which is exactly what I need on a weeknight
Serves: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
300g silken tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (add more if you love garlic!)
300ml vegetable stock
½ tsp paprika
160g pasta
Half a head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
3–4 tbsp nutritional yeast
15g parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
Salt and black pepper
Method
Put the silken tofu in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
In a large pan or skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute until fragrant.
Pour in the blended tofu, followed by the vegetable stock, paprika, a big pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix everything really well, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Have a taste, as you might need a bit more salt.
Add the pasta and pop the lid on. Simmer for around 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the pasta doesn't clump together or stick to the bottom. If the sauce looks like it's getting too thick, add a splash of water.
When the pasta is nearly al dente, add the broccoli and cook for 3–4 minutes until it's tender but still bright green with a little bite.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and the chopped parsley. The sauce should be silky and coat the pasta nicely, so add a little more water if it's looking dry and give it a good mix.
Divide between bowls and top with a sprinkle more nutritional yeast and parsley.
Why it's nutritionally good
Each bowl gives you roughly 27. - 30g of protein, which is a really solid amount for a pasta dish and comes from a mix of the silken tofu, the pasta itself and the nutritional yeast. People often overlook how much protein pasta contributes, but at around 10g per portion it does a lot of the heavy lifting here alongside the tofu.
You're also getting around 7g of fibre per serving, mostly from the broccoli, pasta and nutritional yeast. If you swap in wholewheat or legume pasta that number jumps up considerably, and legume pasta would push the protein even higher too.
Nutritional yeast is doing more than adding that cheesy flavour. Most fortified versions are a great source of B vitamins, including B12, which is worth having on your radar if you eat mostly plants.
This dish brings 5¼ plant points: tofu, wheat, broccoli, garlic and parsley, plus a quarter point for the paprika.
