Garlic-Walnut Pesto Pasta

A student in my online cooking class recently prepared a recipe from the course that uses tofu in lieu of heavy cream, and they were delighted with the results. I mentioned I recently prepared another recipe using tofu as a cream sauce base, and they asked for the recipe, so I'm posting it today.

Garlic-Walnut Pesto Pasta is perfect for February, as it doesn't require any out-of-season produce. It's fast and easy to prepare, but delicious and elegant enough to serve for a Valentine's Day meal. Best of all, you can use smaller pastas like mafalda (as shown) or long pastas like linguine, depending on what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

12 ounces pasta (bow ties or linguine both work well)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced (or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic)

½ of a 11-ounce package silken tofu (I strongly prefer Mori-Nu)

1 cup milk (I prefer oat milk when working with tofu)

1 cup walnut halves

3/4 cup finely shredded strongly-flavored Italian cheese (or a blend of these cheeses), such as Asiago, Parmigiana or Reggiano

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes)

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground peppercorn mix

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to manufacturer’s directions. Drain and set aisde.

Meanwhile, cook garlic in olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring often.

Puree tofu, milk, walnuts, cheese, parsley and peppercorn in blender until smooth. Add to pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.

Add pasta to pan and stir to combine well. Cook until heated through. Do not allow sauce to boil.

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