A perfect nutritionally balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats supports you to feel full and energized throughout the day. This recipe is super speedy, and most of the prep is done whilst something is cooking, so the only additional prep you need is to peel and slice the shallots and grate the garlic. The great thing about this dish is that you can have the freedom to modify it as you like. For instance, you can swap the pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds or pine nuts if you want, and feel free to add extra herbs to your pesto, such as parsley or fresh chives. Having said that, I love using pumpkin seeds as it is an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, vitamin K, copper, and iron. If you are not a fan of tofu, feel free to use chicken or chickpeas as a source of protein. Although I used brown rice pasta, this dish will be perfect with other types of pasta as well; however, I would encourage you to opt for wholemeal pasta if you can for extra fibre.
Pumpkin pesto pasta with tofu
Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
2 cups of dry pasta (I used brown rice fusilli)
olive oil for cooking
2 shallots
2-3 garlic cloves
1 head of broccoli (medium-sized)
1 large courgette
2 tbsp dried chives
250 g firm tofu
1 tbsp soya sauce for the tofu (optional)
sunflower seeds
For the pesto:
1 pack of fresh basil (30 g)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 tbsp water
Instructions:
Add your pasta to a medium-sized saucepan with salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tbsp), and pour over boiling water. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Once the pasta is ready, drain, and set aside.
Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the shallots and grated garlic cloves. Sauté the shallots for about 3 minutes, then add the broccoli and courgettes with a few tablespoons of boiling water to avoid burning your veggies. I cook my vegetables for about 8–10 mins on low heat.
Whilst the vegetables are cooking, prep your tofu. Cut it into cubes, add the soya sauce and transfer it to an air fryer for 15–20 mins. You can also pop the tofu in the oven if you do not own an air fryer, but the baking time will be slightly longer (25-30 mins).
Make your pesto: transfer all the ingredients listed above for the pesto into a blender and blend till smooth.
Once your veggies are cooked as desired, add the pasta to the veggies and pour over your pesto sauce, and combine well.
Top your pasta with the tofu, and garnish it with pumpkin seeds or fresh herbs.
This recipe is enough for three people, if it's only for one, store the rest in an air-tight container, and you have the perfect meal prep.
