Roasted vegetable alfredo
Roasted vegetable alfredo
This is a decadent dish you can enjoy with no guilt because the rich, creamy sauce is made with tofu. The roasted vegetables give the dish a depth of flavour. I try to use seasonal vegetables. In this version I used asparagus, but in the fall, you could substitute broccoli.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
Roasted vegetables
1 bunch fresh asparagus
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 head garlic
2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Tofu cheese
1 cup onion – diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Olive oil or water for sautéing
1 package extra firm tofu
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1½ tablespoons white miso (I used chickpea miso)
½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pasta
340 grams pasta of your choice
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup of frozen peas or handful of fresh spinach
Steps
Roasted vegetables
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces. I leave the asparagus whole until after the spears are roasted. Toss them with a little oil, salt and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet with the head of garlic. Slice the top off the garlic, but leave the skin on. Roast everything until the vegetables are soft and charred, and the garlic is soft. Roughly chop the roasted asparagus.
Tofu cheese
In a large sauce pan, sauté the garlic and onions in water or a little oil, and sprinkle with salt. Put the cooked garlic and onions in a high-speed blender with the remaining tofu cheese ingredients. Blend until smooth. Set the pan aside until you are ready to assemble the final dish.
Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. Follow the cooking instructions on the package. I like my pasta al dente. When it is ready, drain the pasta. Save the pasta water to quickly thaw the peas before adding them to the sauce.
Assembly
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the large saucepan you used to make the cheese sauce. Put it on medium-low heat. Add the pasta, roasted vegetables, peas and tofu cheese. Stir until the pasta is well coated. Add a little bit of the starchy pasta water to get the right consistency. Serve immediately.
