5-Ingredient Avocado Tofu Pasta
A simple healthy vegan meal made with 5 basic ingredients (plus salt and optional toppings). This easy plant-based dinner is ready in under 20 minutes!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 cups (375g) dry pasta of choice
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 cup medium-firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, or more to taste (optional for flavor)
- 1 handful baby spinach (optional for color)
Optional Toppings
- Roasted chickpeas
- Vegan parmesan
- Nutritional Yeast
- Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package's instructions.
- Add the avocado, tofu, lemon juice, garlic and salt (plus olive oil, spinach and/or basil if using) to a food processor. Process until smooth. Add a touch of pasta water if needed to make the sauce creamy.
- Stir the sauce with the drained pasta until combined.
- Serve with roasted chickpeas, vegan parmesan, nutritional yeast and/or pepper to taste if desired.
Video
Notes
I used white fusilli pasta with added fiber. You can also use whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta.
I love to top this dish with this homemade vegan parmesan. Roasted chickpeas or nutritional yeast are other delicious options.
This recipe is best with medium-firm or soft tofu. The sauce won't be as creamy with extra-firm tofu. If you use extra-firm tofu, add more liquid as needed.
To add more color and greens to the recipe, you can add spinach to the sauce. I like to add one large handful of spinach to the food processor with the other ingredients. It doesn't change the flavor significantly, but it adds a beautiful color and extra nutrients.
For more flavor, add fresh basil. This will create a creamy avocado pesto-like sauce. You can also follow this recipe for an avocado pesto pasta. If you add basil, I don't recommend using spinach as well.
I love adding a few tablespoons of oil to create a creamier, richer sauce. The original recipe was oil-free and this is optional. You can also add a splash of water if needed to help blend the sauce.