Creamy tagliatelle with spinach & petit pois

“This recipe highlights the versatility of frozen vegetables and pantry essentials, and it’s completely vegan. Incorporating blended silken tofu into sauces is one of my favourite methods to add vegan protein to meals. Serve this dish with chopped pistachios and nutritional yeast for added flavour.” — Dr Chintal Patel

Prep:10 mins
Cook:20 mins
Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 449
fat 9g
saturates 1g
carbs 62g
sugars 0g
fibre 11g
protein 24g
salt 0.16g

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
320g frozen spinach, defrosted, cooked according to pack instructions and drained well
2 tbsp nutritional yeast, plus extra to serve
1 lemon, zested and juiced
300g silken tofu, drained well
320g frozen petit pois
250g tagliatelle
25g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt. When it's soft and just starting to brown, after around 5-6 mins, add the garlic and fry for 1-2 mins until golden and fragrant.
Tip the cooked onions and garlic into a food processor with the spinach, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and the tofu. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling water following pack instructions, then drain and reserve a mugful of the cooking water.
Pour the blended sauce back into the frying pan and heat over a medium heat. Stir in around 200ml of the pasta cooking water to reach your desired consistency of sauce. Stir and bring to a gentle bubble for 1-2 mins until combined. Add the frozen peas and cook in the sauce for for 2-3 mins until tender. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce. Scatter over the chopped pistachios, lemon zest and some nutritional yeast to serve.