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Balsamic Tofu Pasta.

June 8, 2011 by Carolina

Did you ever watch Doug growing up? It was one of my favorite Nickelodeon cartoons. Doug was a big fan of a band called The Beets, their hit song was Killer Tofu. I tell you all this because I was singing Killer Tofu in my head as I made this. “I don’t eat too too too much fried food. Ah eeh ooh, Killer Tofu!” Yes I’m in my late 20s & yes, I still jam out to childhood songs in my head. Ha!

Tofu can be intimidating at first but it’s relatively easy to make. A couple of things to keep in mind when cooking tofu:

• Drain it. Tofu comes packed in liquid, you need to drain it in order to cook it properly. Wrap it in a dish cloth (or paper towels, though dish cloths in my opinion work best) & place a plate on top of it, let it drain for about 15 minutes
• Marinade it. The great thing about tofu is that it really absorbs the flavor of marinades, it’s versatile. Marinade the tofu after draining to make sure it absorbs all the flavor

My favorite way to cook tofu is to bake it, however, you can eat it raw or even sear it. Which is what I did for this balsamic tofu pasta. Lets get our killer tofu on!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 Block Extra Firm Tofu, drained

1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Package Whole Wheat Pasta

1/2 Packet Heirloom Grape Tomatoes (any grape or cherry tomato will work, I just happened to stumble upon beautiful heirlooms)

1 Cup Eggplant, cubed

1 TSP Garlic, minced

2 TBS Pesto

Basil, roughly chopped, to taste

Parmesan Cheese, to taste

Cook pasta to package instructions, drain & set aside. In a bowl, marinade the drained tofu in the balsamic vinegar & garlic for at least 20 minutes.

In a skillet, heat up a swirl of olive oil & add the tofu (remove from liquid), eggplant, tomatoes, basil & season with salt & pepper. Sear ingredients for 3 – 5 minutes, until tomatoes are fully cooked.

Pour tofu/tomato/basil mixture on top of pasta. Add the pesto & mix. Serve hot, topped with parmesan cheese & enjoy. Buen provecho!