Serve this vegan pasta Florentine with some mega crispy baked tofu. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a little basil. Because you will be changed, forever. Its simplicity is astounding, and its flavor out of control. The pasta by itself is incredible, but put that tofu on top and oh man. This is really kid-friendly too. My kid loves the pasta and sauce, but will devour this tofu any day of the week. You don’t need much to make this garlicky spinach heaven happen.
What You Need For This Spinach Pasta:
- Olive Oil: To sauté some garlic and onions.
- Garlic and Onion: To start the sauce off right!
- Non-Dairy Milk: I used oat milk since it is extra creamy, but you can use any type you like.
- White Wine: To give the sauce some tang and depth of flavor.
- Vegetable Broth: To help smooth out the sauce a bit without many extra calories.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: This will make the sauce thick and creamy and cheesy.
- Vegan Parmesan: For some extra cheesiness.
- Spinach: I use fresh baby spinach for the Florentine part of this pasta.
- Pasta: Of course. I used Bowtie, but honestly any pasta will work.
- Tofu, Flour, Panko and Lemon Juice: If you’re adding the crispy tofu to this dish.
This vegan pasta Florentine sauce is one of my favorites. It is balanced and so freaking good! I could literally put it on everything and be happy. This entire meal is very quick. The sauce can be made in the time it takes you to make the pasta. If you start the tofu before that, you can have a whole meal done in 30 minutes. Which is really amazing and what I always want after a long day. Love creamy pasta? Check out my Vegan Pasta al Limone!
Why Should You Make This Florentine Dream?
- Cheesy, spinach, wine sauce. Need I say more?
- 30 minutes. Tofu and all.
- It’s one of the most delicious things ever.
- Easy to find ingredients.
- Kid and adult-friendly!
Vegan Pasta Florentine
Creamy, cheesy, spinach and garlicky sauce tossed with pasta and served with crispy baked tofu.
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Tofu
- 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu, drained and pressed*
- 1 Cup Non-dairy milk, I used oat milk
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
- 3/4 Cup All purpose flour
- 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs, vegan
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
Vegan Pasta Florentine
- 12 Ounces Pasta, I used bowtie
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1/2 a Sweet onion, diced
- 1/4 Cup Sweet white wine, vegan (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1 Cup Non-dairy milk
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable broth
- 4 Ounces Vegan cream cheese, I used Violife
- 1/4 Cup Vegan Parmesan, I used Follow Your Heart
- 2 Cups Fresh spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley, basil, lemon juice and red pepper for topping
Instructions
- If making the tofu, once you have pressed it, preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F).
- Cut your block of tofu into triangles and set aside.
- Using 3 medium sized mixing bowls, add the non-dairy milk and lemon juice to the first bowl, whisk to combine. In the second bowl, add the flour and the salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add the panko to the third bowl.
- Now, take a triangle of tofu and put it in the non-dairy milk mixture, then into the flour mixture, coat completely. Then back in the milk, back in the flour, back in the milk and then into the panko. Making sure it is completely coated.
- Place on a sheet pan sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with a silicone mat. Repeat with all the tofu.
- Then spray the tops of the tofu with non-stick spray to help the tofu brown. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes, flip, spray again with non-stick spray and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the tofu bakes, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain when the pasta is al dente.
- Make the sauce while the pasta and tofu cook. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high.
- Add the garlic and onions. Sauté, reducing heat as needed until the onion is translucent. About 3-4 minutes.
- Add the wine and simmer until most of it has absorbed, another 3-4 minutes.
- Now, add the non-dairy milk and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and then bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the vegan cream cheese and the vegan parmesan and whisk until they are fully melted. This may take a few minutes. Just keep whisking.
- Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the spinach and stir it in to the sauce. Heat for just another minute so that the spinach doesn't over cook but is wilted.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Once the pasta is done and drained, add it to the skillet with the sauce and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the pasta with some crispy tofu and a squeeze of lemon juice on top of the tofu.
Notes
If you need more information on pressing tofu, you can hop over and check out our TOFU COOKING GUIDE!
Nutrition
Calories: 662kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1090mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1863IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 5mg
Could you air fry the tofu instead of baking it?
Yes, I think that would work out well!
Made this this past weekend and the pasta/sauce was top notch! Super easy to throw together as well!! Will definitely be entering into our rotation. We weren’t the hugest fans of the tofu but I seem to always mess up breading tofu LOL. Would be super easy to sub in something else in place of the tofu anyway 🙂