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Chickpea and Tofu Pasta Salad

Chloe from Forkful of Plants
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Pasta, Salad
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
This simple and delicious tofu pasta salad is made with wholesome wholewheat pasta, delicious crunchy summer veg, pesto crusted tofu, and a creamy vegan Italian style dressing. It’s an easy, healthy dish for meal prep, or a summer BBQ side.
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Equipment

  • Sharp knife
  • Chopping board
  • Medium saucepan
  • Large, non-stick frying pan
  • Blender, bullet blender, or immersion/stick blender

Ingredients
 
 

For the pasta salad

  • 300 g dry wholewheat pasta
  • 1 block tofu (~300g) cubed
  • 3 tbsp vegan pesto
  • 400 g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • ½ cucumber diced
  • 1 sweet bell pepper diced
  • 250 g cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 8 sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 40 g black olives chopped

For the creamy Italian dressing

  • 1 pack silken tofu (~300g)
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dijon
  • ½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Start by mixing the cubed tofu with the pesto in a bowl. Leave it to marinade whilst you chop the vegetables, then heat the frying pan over a medium heat (you won’t need any oil as the pesto is oil-based).
  • Fry the tofu for 10 minutes, turning regularly until it is browned and crispy on all sides. Remove it from the heat.
  • Meanwhile, tip the pasta into a medium saucepan of boiling, salted water. Simmer it for 8-9 minutes until the pasta is al dente, or according to the package instructions. Once cooked, rinse it with cold water to stop it from cooking further.
  • Add all of the dressing ingredients to your blender, and blend on high until the dressing is completely smooth. It will be quite thick, but this will mean that the pasta is well coated. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Mix the cooked pasta, chopped veggies, chickpeas and dressing together (you can use as much or as little dressing as you like, and save the rest for a different recipe). Serve the pasta salad topped with the fried tofu.

Notes

STORAGE: This pasta salad will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, so make it the day before a party or as meal prep for the week.
Pasta salad doesn’t freeze well, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe.
If you want to warm this pasta up, just pop it in the microwave until hot through. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, but will depend on your microwave power and portion size.

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 20gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gFiber: 6gSugar: 6g
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