I love Trisha Yearwood!! I have her to thank for today's post. I was watching her show on the Food Network over the Christmas holiday, and she made a lasagna with tofu ricotta. Hello!! Why have I not thought of this before? If it is good enough for Garth Brooks, I knew the Hubs would like it. Like I said, I love her…. So I have used her recipe for the ricotta and turned it into a pasta dish that pleased the Hubs. I didn't tell him I used tofu until after he ate it… I may or may not have told him it was cheese. Oops!
I can't wait to utilize this ricotta recipe for lots of future meals. For those of you who are skeptic of tofu, all it is curdled soy milk. Think cheese!! The health benefits are endless. If you don't believe me, check it out here. It is gluten free, diary free, and a wonderful vegetarian option!
Of course you can always use real dairy ricotta if you don't want to make the tofu ricotta.
According to the wonderful Trisha Yearwood, the tofu ricotta recipe yields about 2 1/2 cups of cheese and should keep in the fridge in an airtight container for at least a week.
Believe me now? Just give this recipe a try and I promise you will become a fan!
Lemon Tofu Ricotta Pasta
DF
Ingredients:
1 cup tofu ricotta cheese (recipe below) (can always substitute real, skim ricotta)
12 oz fettuccine (or your favorite spaghetti like GF pasta)
1 lemon, juice and rind
1/4 t salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1 bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh spinach
1 T olive oil
What to do:
Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving about a cup of the cooking water.
While your pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine tofu ricotta, juice and rind of your lemon, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Chop your bell pepper.
Mince your garlic.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add in the bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to low and add your cooked pasta, spinach, ricotta mixture, and reserved pasta water to the large skillet.
Cook just long enough for the spinach to wilt. I like to use tongs to toss everything together.
Grab a fork and dig in!
Tofu Ricotta Cheese
DF/GF
Ingredients:
1/4 cup raw cashews
14 oz extra firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 T olive oil
2 T fresh basil
pinch of salt and pepper
What to do:
First thing we need to do is is get the tofu pressed and drained. Wrap your tofu in paper towels. Place a heavy skillet (cast iron works best) on top of the tofu. Let it sit on the counter for an hour to allow all the moisture to drain out.
After an hour, the paper towel will have soaked up all the water.
Chop your basil.
Add your cashews into a food processor and grind them up.
Crumble your drained tofu into the food processor.
Add in the nutritional yeast, olive oil, basil, and salt and pepper.
Process a few seconds longer to mix all the ingredients together.
Store in an airtight container for at least a week.
Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife
