Mediterranean red Pesto Pasta

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Let this pasta transport you to a beautiful greek island. I would say it is a great pasta, but don’t take my word for it, TRY IT instead. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL: 20 minutes
MAKES: for 3-4 people

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INGREDIENTS

• 300g (4 portions) bow tie pasta

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 white onion

• 1 (180g) block firm tofu

• 50g capers

• 165g pitted black olives (large handful)

• 3 large tomatoes or 4 medium

• 25g fresh parsley

• 2 tbsp vegan cream

• 3 tbsp red pesto (vegan)

• 1 tbsp olive oil for cooking

• salt and pepper for cooking + for the pasta water

• save: 1/4 cup pasta water from cooking the pasta

DIRECTIONS

This pasta dish takes 20 minutes if you prep your ingredients while you cook the pasta. Multitasking is a saviour of time.

1.  Boil water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Make sure to properely salt the water before adding the pasta. Save 1/4 cup of pasta water while the pasta is cooking.

2. While the pasta cooks, prepare all the vegetables and tofu. First, chop up the tomatoes into small bite-sized pieces and cut the olives in half lengthwise or into rounds. Mince the peeled onion and garlic cloves. Using your hand, press the tofu a little bit over the sink just to get rid of excess water. By using a cheese grater, shred the tofu block. Finaly, chop up the washed, fresh parsley as small as possible.

3. Drain the pasta.

4. Into a large pan on medium-high heat pour the tablespoon of olive oil along with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the diced onion and garlic. Sauté these for around 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook those for around 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently. Add in the shredded tofu and fry for another minute. Then add in the saved pasta water, and fry for another minute. 

5. Add in the olives, capers and the pesto. Mix well and let it fry for one minute. Add in the vegan cream, and stir well. Finally, stir in the fresh parsley and let it cook for another minute, stirring frequently.

6. Turn off the heat and mix in the drained pasta.

   Enjoy!

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