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Creamy, one-pot romesco sauce pasta with spicy cajun tofu is a 30-minute meal that’s packed with amazing flavors! While the pasta and romesco sauce cook together in a single pot, you have plenty of time to make the toothsome, spiced tofu.
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This is the pasta of your dreams! A flavorful romesco sauce with hearty noodles of choice topped with Cajun spiced tofu! Romesco sauce is a Spanish pasta sauce with a roasted red pepper base that can also include tomato. It has almonds and plenty of spices, and you make it in the food processor for a quick, easy, creamy sauce.
In this romesco pasta recipe, I’m pairing the creamy, one-pot pasta with cajun-spiced tofu. It’s an unusual combination that is just incredible! And it only takes about half an hour, since you can make the tofu while the pasta is cooking.
Why You’ll Love Romesco Sauce Pasta
- flavor-packed food processor sauce
- one-pot meal
- toothsome, cajun-spiced tofu
- gluten-free and nut-free options
More Vegan One Pot Pasta Recipes
One-Pot Romesco Sauce Pasta
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
For the romesco-inspired sauce:
- 2 whole red bell peppers, roasted – you can use jarred or you can roast them yourself (see notes)
- 1/2 cup almonds, preferably lightly toasted and then soaked in warm water
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional adds to the romesco sauce
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder ,
- 1 tomato , or 2oz fire-roasted tomatoes
For the pasta:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 3 cups water, or stock
- 7 oz pasta of choice , or 5 regular lasagna sheets, broken up (I used Mezzi Paccheri)
- black pepper, to taste
Topping:
- 7 oz extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 15 minutes and then sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cajun spice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the romesco sauce.
- Add the roasted bell peppers and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and process until a coarse mixture forms and there are no large chunks of almonds left. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- If you like your sauce smoother, you can process it for a few more minutes and set the sauce aside.
Make the pasta.
- Heat the oil in a skillet or shallow saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent. Then add all the spices and the water and mix well. Then add the pasta and press it into the water. Cover the skillet and cook for 1 2 minutes stirring once in between. Check if the pasta is cooked. Depending on your pasta and stove it should be ready between 12-19 minutes.
- Once the pasta is al-dente, switch off the heat. Then add the prepared romesco sauce and toss well to coat. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and switch it off. Cover with the lid and allow the flavors to meld together for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, make the tofu topping.
- Press and slice the tofu if you haven’t already then brush the tofu with the lime juice. Mix the spices in a bowl and sprinkle them all over the tofu. You can let it sit and marinate for some time by making it ahead. Or you can grill them right away.
- Heat up a grill pan or regular skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons oil and once the oil is hot add the tofu slices and grill or cook until golden on both sides.
- Remove from the skillet, slice, top the pasta and serve. Garnish with some chopped parsley and more pepper flakes if you wish. You can also add some flaked salt.
- Store: Store the pasta and tofu separately in a closed container in the fridge for upto 3 days. Reheat in the microwave
Video
Notes
- Slice 2 red bell peppers and remove the seeds and stem. Place the sliced side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 450ºF and place the baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. If your oven has the broil function, broil for 10 minutes. Turn the baking sheet around after 5 minutes.
- Depending on your oven the bell peppers will start to blacken sooner or later so keep an eye on them. Once the bell peppers have enough black spots on switch off the broil.
- Cover the baking sheet with another baking sheet and let the peppers sit in the hot oven for another 5-10 minutes to roast. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bell peppers to a bowl. Cover with a plate and allow the peppers to cool down and steam themselves so that they are easier to peel. Once they are cool to the touch, remove the peel and use these roasted bell peppers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- roasted red peppers – You can use jarred or roast them yourself. The recipe notes above have instructions for roasting the peppers. Cooking time doesn’t include roasting the peppers.
- almonds – These make the sauce creamy without dairy! For nut-free, use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- dried spices – Smoked paprika, onion powder, and red pepper flakes give the sauce its flavor. For the pasta, you’re using onion powder, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast for more flavor and creaminess. The tofu uses cajun spice and smoked paprika to give it that good, spicy, smoky flavor.
- garlic – Fresh garlic boosts that sauce flavor even more.
- lemon juice – For acidity in the sauce.
- olive oil – Works with the almonds to make a creamy romesco sauce. You’ll also use it to sauté ingredients for the pasta.
- optional sauce ingredients – Sherry or red wine vinegar and tomato bulk out the sauce and balance the flavors. You can omit if you don’t have or don’t eat these ingredients.
- onion – Sautéed onion brings so much incredible umami to this dish!
- water – To cook the pasta.
- pasta – You can use any pasta you like! Even broken up lasagna sheets will work in this recipe for a romesco sauce skillet lasagna.
- tofu – Be sure to press the tofu before you start prepping to save time.
- lime juice – Adds zing to the tofu.
Tips
- Make sure you press the pasta into the water before covering the pot! The keys to good one-pot pasta are making sure the pasta is submerged and that you stir once or twice during cooking. That will keep the pasta from sticking together and from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The tofu is most flavorful if you can let it marinate. You can even prep it the night before!
How to Roast the Red Peppers
You can use jarred, roasted bell peppers or roast them yourself.
To roast the bell peppers from scratch, slice two red bell peppers and remove the seeds and stem. Place the sliced side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 450º F and place the baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. If your oven has the broil function, broil for 10 minutes. Turn the baking sheet around after five minutes.
Depending on your oven the bell peppers will start to blacken sooner or later so keep an eye on them. Once the bell peppers have enough black spots on switch off the broil.
Cover the baking sheet with another baking sheet and let the peppers sit in the hot oven for another five to 10 minutes to roast. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bell peppers to a bowl.
Cover with a plate and allow the peppers to cool down and steam themselves so that they are easier to peel. Once they are cool to the touch, remove the peel and use these roasted bell peppers.
How to Make Romesco Pasta
First, make the romesco sauce in the food processor.
Add the roasted bell peppers and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and process until a coarse mixture forms and there are no large chunks of almonds left. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
If you like your sauce smoother, you can process it for a few more minutes and set the sauce aside.
To make the pasta, heat the oil in a skillet or shallow saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is translucent.
Then add all the spices and the water and mix well.
Add the pasta and press it into the water. Cover the skillet and cook for 12 to 15 stirring once in between. Check if the pasta is cooked. Depending on your pasta and stove it should be ready between 13 to 18 minutes.
Once the pasta is al-dente, switch off the heat. Then add the prepared romesco sauce and toss well to coat. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and switch it off. Cover with the lid and allow the flavors to melt together for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, make the tofu topping. Press and slice the tofu if you haven’t already then brush the tofu with the lime juice.
Mix the spices in a bowl and sprinkle them all over the tofu. You can let it sit and marinate for some time by making it ahead. Or you can grill them right away.
Heat up a grill pan or regular skillet over medium-high heat. Add one to two teaspoons oil and once the oil is hot add the tofu slices and grill or cook until golden on both sides.
Remove from the skillet, slice, top the pasta and serve. Garnish with some chopped parsley and more pepper flakes if you wish. You can also add some flaked salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta. For nut-free, use seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
For soy-free, use my chickpea tofu. Or use vegan chicken subs or seitan.
This was so delicious and flavourful. I threw in some baby spinach for greens and didn’t have chilli flakes, so mine probably wasn’t as spicy but it still had a lovely mild heat and the sauce was amazing!
Yay!! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Well golly! What a banging recipe, Richa! I love the romesco sauce! I sauteed some veggies in italian seasonining and then added the sauce, skipping the pasta and tofu entirely. Turned out fabulously! Thank you Richa!
Awesome!
This was SO delicious. I used jarred peppers, untoasted almonds (I was pressed for time so I only soaked them for about 10 minutes with boiling water), Gardein “chicken” stock, and cooked the whole thing in a cast iron dutch oven. I put the sliced tofu in layers of toweling in the fridge while I was at work and the consistency was perfect. Letting it sit after cooking for a few minutes was vital, because it made the sauce tighten up. We still ate the sauce left in our bowls with spoons, though. It was so good we weren’t letting any of it get away!
Next time we’ll double the recipe because there aren’t enough leftovers. Great recipe, Richa!
Sound delicious!! Glad you liked it!
Made this and my husband who is not vegan, quickly devoured it. It is excellent!
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
So good, smells amazing while cooking and did not disappoint! From roasting the red peppers to the tofu, easy and so satisfying! Thank you as always!
So happy you liked it!
This was so delicious! The only change I made was to bake the tofu and did everything else like in the recipe. It was a great dinner.
yay!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used as little oil as I could to lower the fat but otherwise, kept the recipe as written, adding two peeled tomatoes to the sauce. It came together quickly once I had done the prep of roasting the peppers, blanching and peeling the tomatoes and pressing/marinating the tofu. Doubled the recipe to have leftovers…not sure they’ll last too long! So good!
yay! thank you so much for reviewing, glad you enjoyed.
Another great recipe! I added a zucchini and red peppers to the onions because I wanted more veggies – it was excellent!
Awesome!
This looks absolutely delicious! I have to eat a super low fat diet to keep my propensity to prediabetes in check. Any thoughts on how to make the sauce using cooked white beans or soft tofu?
You use use beans or tofu for the sauce as well. 1/2 -3/4 cup should work well.
The recipe omits the Cajun tofu steps. They’re in the pictures, but not in the recipe when I download it.
It shows when I print or save it. It probably went to a second page?