From cauliflower to cashews to coconut milk, we’ve tried so many different kinds of vegan “alfredo” recipes. And most of them were good. But not great.
So we set out to make our own version, and we were honestly a little surprised when we discovered tofu to be our favorite base among them all.
This sauce is both creamy and flavorful — two key, and often challenging to achieve, attributes of a vegan cream sauce. And it some how manages to be magically rich and delicious without any added fat.
While that wasn’t intentional, we’re all for a healthy “alfredo”. Seasoned with a powerhouse of flavor (nutritional yeast, miso, herbs, soy sauce, smoked paprika), this one’s got enough depth to stand up to whole wheat noodles, too. Although, we learned upon photographing, white pasta would probably make the dish look creamier. But don’t let appearances fool you — it’s got plenty of cream. You could probably even get away with using a whole pound of pasta. We like our noodles saucy, so we’ve wrote the recipe accordingly.
The tofu sauce thickens as it sits. If reheating to eat the next day, simply add a little water to your bowl, and all silkiness will be restored. Feel free to play around with the veggies. If asparagus is out of season, sautéed spinach would make a nice addition, too.
Spring pasta with vegan cream sauce, asparagus, and mushrooms
- June 1, 2022
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz.) block of extra firm tofu, drained, rinsed
- 3 garlic cloves, divided
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. miso
- 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup almond milk?
- ½ cup pasta water (you may only need ¼ cup, but best to have extra)
- Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
- 15 medium asparagus stalks (about ¾ of a bunch), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 1/3 lemon, juiced
- 12 oz. whole wheat pasta
Directions
- Step 1
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, setting aside ⅓ cup of pasta water.
- Step 2
- In a high-speed blender, add tofu, one garlic clove, spices and herbs, soy sauce, miso, nutritional yeast, and almond milk. Blend until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add half of the pasta water, setting aside the remaining ¼ cup. Blend to incorporate. Set sauce aside.
- Step 3
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and garlic over medium-high. Saute until garlic just begins to brown. Add asparagus and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the lemon juice in the final two minutes. Once mushrooms are browned and asparagus is tender, remove skillet from heat.
- Step 4
- Add pasta to vegetables. Pour in sauce, and toss to combine, adding more pasta water to thin out, if needed. Adjust salt, to taste. Serve, topping with another pinch of fresh ground pepper.