Gochujang pasta
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4–6
This vegan pasta dish is so easy to make but is deliciously spicy and comfortingly creamy. Feel free to swap the peas for shredded greens – or leave them out completely.
For this recipe you will need a blender.
By Elly Curshen
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb 2oz dried pasta, such as linguine, spaghetti, tagliatelle, fusilli or penne
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, red or white, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
- 300g/10½oz block silken tofu, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or finely grated Italian-style hard cheese)
- large handful frozen peas (optional)
- salt
Method
Cook the pasta in a saucepan of well salted boiling water according to packet instructions, or until al dente. Drain and reserve some of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt with the lid on until softened.
Place the tofu, gochujang and nutritional yeast in a blender. Add the onion mixture and a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water and blend until totally smooth.
If using the peas, boil or microwave them until hot.
Pour the tofu mixture into a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until it starts to simmer then add the pasta, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is a little thick.
Toss the peas, if using, with the creamy pasta and serve immediately.
Recipe tips
You can adjust the spice by adding less or more gochujang.
You could easily add more greens – shredded kale or cavlo nero would be good, but anything goes!
If you don't need the dish to be vegan, you can use an Italian-style hard cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
