Description

These vegan green goddess pesto pasta bowls feature roasted seasonal vegetables, crispy, “cheesy” tofu, pasta, and green goddess pesto made with a luscious combination of avocado, cashews, and lots of lemon and garlic.

Ingredients

Scale

Crispy Baked Tofu

1 (14-16-oz) block organic firm tofu
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Roasted Vegetables

1 bunch of asparagus
1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 a medium red onion, sliced
8 crimini mushrooms, chopped into quarters
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Green Goddess Pesto

3 cups (packed) fresh basil or parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from approximately 2 large lemons)
1/2 cup raw cashews
3/4–1 tsp fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and flesh scooped out
1/4 cup filtered water

For Serving

1 lb (454 g) dry pasta of choice OR 4 servings of cooked grain of choice (quinoa, buckwheat, rice, faro, millet, etc.)
1/2 cup olives

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl. In a small dish, whisk together the tamari, olive oil, arrowroot, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Pour this mixture over the tofu cubes and toss to coat. Transfer to the baking sheet and arrange in an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, and transfer to a separate dish, since you’ll need two baking sheets for vegetables. Leave the oven on.
Arrange the asparagus spears on a second baking sheet. (I don’t recommend using parchment for the pan on which you roast the asparagus since it tends to become soggy.) Drizzle the asparagus with 1 tbsp of olive oil, the balsamic, and a pinch each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently rub it into the asparagus and roast for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks.
Chop the broccoli into small florets and place in a bowl along with the red onion, mushrooms, garlic, remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and transfer to the second baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the green goddess pesto and cook the pasta while the vegetables are roasting. Place the herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, cashews, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic, avocado, and water in a food processor. Blend until silky smooth and transfer to an airtight container. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
To serve, place some pasta, tofu, roasted vegetables, and olives in bowls. Top with desired amount of pesto. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

For a less intensely flavoured pesto, reduce the amount of lemon juice. We love it super tangy!

For a soy-free meal, use cooked beans/lentils, poached or hard boiled eggs, or wild salmon/organic free range chicken in place of the tofu.

For a gluten-free meal, use gluten-free pasta or gluten-free grain/pseudograin of choice, such as quinoa, buckwheat, or millet.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: vegan green goddess pesto bowls, vegan green goddess pasta bowls, cheesy baked tofu