Easy Tofu Pasta (Scissor Cut)

This easy Tofu Pasta is phenomenal. It's like normal handmade pasta, but much faster because of the scissor cut method, vegan, and contains extra protein. Ready in just 15 minutes, this Tofu Pasta with a Pesto sauce and a dollop of cottage cheese is an absolute game changer!

The scissor cut pasta trend is going crazy right now thanks to Seema from @seemagetsbaked! However, all the recipes are following the traditional pasta making method of using eggs as the binder. So, I thought I'd come up with a vegan, protein-packed alternative, using Silken Tofu. The dough comes together so easily and it's honestly such a simple pasta dish to make.

The silken tofu adds two egg equivalent loads of protein (around 12g), and then if you want anymore protein, feel free to add a sauce that is protein heavy, using chickpeas, lentils, or peas (which is what I've added in along with some plant-based pesto).

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• EASY - This pasta literally takes 15 minutes to make. It's super simple and requires only two ingredients for the dough. And then, all you need are some scissors to chop up your dough into little pieces of pasta!
• PROTEIN-PACKED - This pasta uses silken tofu as the "liquid" binder. It has around 12g of protein for a 2 portion meal. But, with all the additional ingredients in the sauce, you're looking at a protein-packed meal!
• PLANT-BASED - You heard it right, this dish is vegan. The pasta uses silken tofu to bind the flour, and then I've paired it with peas, vegan pesto, and topped with some plant-based burrata/cottage cheese.

If you like making your own dough from scratch, here are a few recipes that you might love making that'll take less than 30 minutes of your time!

• 30-Minute Dominican Dumplings with the most incredible red pepper sauce!
• Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza in less than 30 minutes! So cheesy and delicious!
• 2-Ingredient Bread Bites, perfect for dipping or spreading with butter!

INGREDIENTS FOR TOFU PASTA

• SILKEN TOFU - I absolutely love silken tofu. It's perfect for this dish because it has a high water content, so it breaks down really easily and works to bind the flour together. It also has a protein content per 100g that is the same as one egg. So, by using 200g of silken tofu in this recipe for two people, it's the equivalent (in protein terms) as non-plant-based pasta!
• PLAIN FLOUR - Any all purpose flour will do for this recipe. You could also use wholegrain if you want to make this dish healthier. If you're gluten-free, I'm sure any gluten-free alternative flour would work too!
• SALT - You always want to season your dough so that it doesn't taste super plain. Adding a sprinkle of salt elevates the dough just enough so that it has a bit of flavour to it.
• OIL - Vegetable oil is a great option or olive oil. We will be using it to fry off the shallots in the pan.
• SHALLOTS - I've used shallots for this recipe, honestly, because I had some leftover in my fridge. But, I do think they add a lovely sweetness and shape to the dish. If you don't have shallots, feel free to use white or red onions, finely chopped.
• PESTO - You can use normal pesto if you're not vegan, or use the best plant-based pesto you can find!
• PEAS - Adding more greenery to this dish, I love adding peas into pasta dishes. They're sweet, cute, and add a nice texture. I've just used frozen Birds Eye peas, they're my favourite!
• COTTAGE CHEESE - Completely optional, but I always love to add a bit of creaminess to my pasta dishes. I've added cottage cheese, but feel free to add parmesan, nutritional yeast for the vegans, or plant-based burrata cheese!

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

• SILKEN TOFU - This might be a bit difficult for some of you to access. So, if you can't find any silken tofu, I'd recommend using extra firm tofu, and blending it with 50ml of water, or until you have 200ml of "tofu liquid".
• SHALLOTS - If you don't have any shallots, don't worry, you can use red onions, white onions, scallions, or any kind of allium you like for this dish! You could also just not add them in at all. You could also add in some garlic if you're a garlic fan.
• PESTO - If you don't like pesto, but want a saucy option, I love making an Alfredo-type sauce. So get yourself some sliced garlic, and fry in the pan with some oil. Then, add in your plant-based or normal single cream. Black cracked pepper, and some salt, give it a good mix, and voila! Finish off with some nutritional yeast or parmesan!
• PEAS - If you don't have peas, any bean will do. Chickpeas, lentils, blackbeans...OR a whole different kind of vegetable altogether! Courgettes would be so delicious in this dish, or red peppers, mushrooms!! The options are endless! Broccoli would work too! Just make sure to fry them off so they're al dente before adding the sauce in and the pasta!
• COTTAGE CHEESE - Any cheese will do! If you're plant-based, then add in some nutritional yeast or plant-based burrata! So good.

TOFU PASTA SAUCE VARIATIONS

Okay okay, if you don't love pesto, then check out below to see some alternatives!

• ALFREDO - Fry off some garlic and then add in some single cream, with parmesan, black cracked pepper, and a pinch of salt. Give it a good mix and then add in your scissor cut tofu pasta.
• RED PEPPER SAUCE - One of my favourite homemade, no cook pasta sauces is my red pepper sauce. It's so simple, just slice up some red pepper and add it to a blender with milk and cheese. Whizz it up and then taste it. It should be thick enough to form a sauce but not too thick.
• TOMATO SAUCE - Pomodoro sauce as the Italians would call it. Simply simmer some cherry tomatoes with garlic, onion, herbs, black pepper, and salt until the tomatoes have softened into a gorgeous sauce. Serve with the pasta and enjoy!
• SPICY SOY - Now I know this is a pasta, but what's stopping you from adding Asian-inspired ingredients to make a sauce? I'd love to put this pasta with a sauce that sounds like this: fry your garlic and ginger in a pan. Add in some light soy sauce and a dash of sugar. Top with some chilli oil and then add in your pasta with some coriander for colour and extra flavour. Serve up and enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE TOFU PASTA: STEP BY STEP

STEP 1: DOUGH

• To make this dough, simply combine your flour, silken tofu, and salt in a bowl. Stir with chopsticks until a dough starts to form. Then begin kneading with your palm in the bowl to form a dough.
• Dust a surface with flour, then place the dough onto your surface and continue kneading for 5 minutes until a hard dough has formed.
• Cover with cling film and then set aside in the fridge while you make your sauce.

STEP 2: SAUCE

• Place a frying pan on low heat. Drizzle with oil and then add in your chopped shallots. Fry for a few minutes and then add in your peas and pesto. Stir that all in and then cook your pasta.

STEP 3: COOK PASTA

• Place a pan of boiling water on the heat.
• Get your dough and using scissors, gently cut the dough into bitesized pieces by pressing the scissors against the dough and cutting into the dough. Repeat until there is no more dough.
• Boil for 2 minutes and then drain (make sure to keep a mug of pasta water).

STEP 4: COMBINE

• Add your tofu pasta into your pesto sauce with a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to make a glossy sauce.
• Once your pasta is ready, serve up and top with cottage cheese, chopped chillies if you fancy, or any topping you like!

TOFU PASTA LEFTOVERS

One of the best things about this dish is that it's perfect for meal prep, leftovers, or for lunch the next day. 

So, if you've got tofu pasta leftovers, then simply place them in airtight containers and leave in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you want to reheat your meal, simply place in the microwave for a few minutes on high heat and enjoy! I always love splashing a bit of milk in the Tupperware too before microwaving to keep the sauce moist!

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