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Vegan Creamy Cajun Pasta with Crisp Breaded tofu. Nut-free Creamy Cajun Spice Sauce with Farfalle and Breaded Tofu. 23 Gm of Protein.Vegan Nut-free Recipe. Soy-free option. Easily oil-free Jump to Recipe
My Cajun blend gets used up quickly right after my garam masala and berbere blends. Its a versatile blend that works in many types of meals. This Creamy Pasta Sauce has the cajun blend for a smoky delicious flavor profile. The sauce is creamy, fluffy and is made with tofu. I have started to make more Tofu sauces(Lemon Asparagus Pasta) as they are so much quicker than cashew sauces. They also amp up the protein in the meal!
The peppers and onions add flavor. I top the pasta with a smoky breaded tofu. You can use other toppings such as roasted cauliflower or veggies, or chickpeas or vegan meat subs. Or just serve as is! See Recipe notes for tofu-free option.
Ingredients for Vegan Creamy Cajun Pasta
- The Creamy Cajun Sauce has garlic, onion, mushrooms, peppers as the aromatics.
- The creamy sauce portion uses tofu, non dairy milk, onion powder, cajun spice blend, miso and optional nutritional yeast
- Farfalle is the pasta of choice
- The Tofu is tossed in soy sauce, paprika, herbs, garlic, water and cornstarch mixture.
- Breading uses breadcrumbs and onion flakes
How to Make Vegan Creamy Cajun Pasta with Breaded Tofu
Mix the soy sauce, herbs, spices, cornstarch, lime and oil in a shallow bowl. Coat each slice of the Tofu and let is sit to marinate for 10-15 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta and prep the sauce. In another shallow bowl mix breadcrumbs, onion flakes and salt. Coat each tofu slice in the breadcrumb mixture, Then pan fry for 4 to 5 mins each side or bake for 25 mins.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds, add onion and mix and cook for a minute. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and a good pinch of salt and cook until golden.
Meanwhile, blend the rest of the ingredients (tofu through miso) until smooth. Add this to the skillet and mix well. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust flavor with more salt and cajun spice if needed.
Fold in the cooked farfalle and toss to coat. Switch off heat. Cover and let sit for 2 mins. Serve slice sliced breaded tofu, chopped tomato, pepper flakes and cilantro.
Can I make the pasta sauce without Tofu?
To make the sauce without soy: Use 1/2 cup cashews , 1 tbsp flour and 1/4 cup more non dairy milk and blend with the rest of the ingredients. Use chickpea miso.
Serve the Pasta without the breaded tofu topping or use roasted veggies or vegan chicken subs for soy-free.
Where is all the Protein coming from?
There is protein in the sauce with the tofu, and protein in the wheat based pasta, and the breaded tofu
More Pastas
- Lemon Asparagus Fettuccine, so Creamy!
- Sundried Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Soy curls.So beautiful!
- Garlic Pasta with Cajun Cauliflower – super popular
- Rose Sauce Farfalle – so Creamy!
- Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti.– Hearty
- Cauliflower Parmesan Pasta Bake – sliced cauliflower, baked then dressed in vegan mozz, baked over pasta
- Spaghetti with toasted garlic breadcrumbs and herbs – So easy and so delicious
Vegan Creamy Cajun Pasta with Breaded tofu.
Ingredients
- 8 oz farfalle
Vegan Creamy Cajun Sauce:
- 1 tsp oil or 2 tbsp broth
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 7 oz firm tofu, , drained (use tofu that doesn’t have a strong beany flavor as that can stand out) see note for tofu free sauce
- 1 cup non dairy milk such as soy milk, oat milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp flour
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 3 tsp cajun spice blend, or more as needed
- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast, (optional)
- 1 tsp miso, , mellow miso or chickpea miso
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Breaded Tofu:
- 9 oz firm or extra firm tofu, , drained and pressed for 10 mins, then sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, or tamari
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, or use a mix of sage, thyme and oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika, or a mix of sweet and smoked, or use cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch, or other starch
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp onion flakes
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to instructions on package and set aside.
- Breaded tofu: Mix the soy sauce, herbs, spices, cornstarch, lime in a shallow bowl. Coat each slice of the Tofu and let is sit to marinate for 10-15 mins. Meanwhile prep the sauce(below).
- In another shallow bowl mix breadcrumbs, onion flakes. Coat each tofu slice in the breadcrumb mixture, Then pan fry in a regular skillet or grill skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 mins each side, or bake for at 400 deg F (205 C) for 25 mins. Slice into half inch slices.
- Make the Cajun Cream Sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds, add onion and mix and cook for half a minute. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and a good pinch of salt and cook until golden.
- Meanwhile, blend the rest of the ingredients (tofu through salt) in a blender until smooth. Add this to the skillet and mix well. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust flavor with more salt, cajun spice, nutritional yeast if needed. (some tofu brands are denser and might need more of the flavor ingredients).
- Fold in the cooked farfalle and toss to coat. Switch off heat. Cover and let sit for 2 mins.
- The pasta is great as is as well. Garnish with 1/4 cup or more chopped tomato, pepper flakes and cilantro. Serve with sliced breaded tofu,
Store: Pasta sauce and cajun pasta can be stored refrigerated for upto 3 days.
Tofu breading will soften on storage, Re-bake and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! We doubled the sauce to have enough gravy for the leftover pasta (not much left!) Using both smoked paprika & Cajun spice gave a more zesty flavor. It did seem to take longer than the recipe suggested, more like an hour total, so be aware when making it.
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it.
So good! My husband doesn’t like tofu, so we just skipped it. Doubled up on the Cajun seasoning and added a couple handfuls of spinach at the end. Love using tofu in the sauce for a little protein kick!
Sounds delicious!!
I have just re-read the recipe and have found the alternative to my poultry seasoning query.
Cheers and thanks for the recipe
This looks delicious and I will be making it next weekend – my only problem is the poultry seasoning; I don’t think we have anything like that here in Australia. What sort of spice mix would you suggest as a substitute?
All purpose seasoning or use Italian blend plus sage plus onion powder.
Did you say how much pasta?
8oz farfalle or other pasta
Totally delicious! Had some trouble with the sauce texture and salt level like some others have mentioned, but I think it may have been due to the bargain tofu I was using. I reserved (unsalted) pasta water and added it to the sauce until the salt level and texture were corrected.
Glad it worked out!
Hi Richa! Looking to try this recipe out this week. I can’t seem to find mellow miso, or chickpea miso… what would be another alternative. Would white miso work?
Yes white will work too !
I used white and it worked great!