You want to eat more protein, but you are probably tired of cooking chicken breast every single night. Maybe you also love a rich, creamy pasta sauce, but you do not want all the heavy cream and butter. I have a simple trick that solves both problems. You can make incredibly creamy pasta sauces using silken tofu.
Silken tofu is high in protein, low in fat, and blends into a perfectly smooth cream. It has almost no flavor on its own, so it takes on whatever spices, herbs, or cheeses you add to it. Best of all, you do not even have to cook the sauce in a separate pan. You just blend it and toss it with your hot noodles.
Why Silken Tofu Works Best for High Protein Recipes
Many people think of firm tofu when they think of vegetarian protein. Firm tofu is great for baking, air frying, or cubing into stir fries. However, silken tofu is different. It has a high water content and a custard like texture. When you put it in a blender, it instantly turns into a thick, luxurious cream.
This texture makes it the ultimate base for sauces without dairy. You get the rich mouthfeel of heavy cream but with a fraction of the calories. Most importantly, you get a massive protein boost. One single block of silken tofu usually contains about fifteen to twenty grams of protein.
If you are looking for easy ways to hit your daily protein goals, this is one of the quickest methods. It is especially helpful on busy nights when you have zero energy to cook. If you need more quick ideas, check out Your Busy Weeknight Savior: High-Protein Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes or Less to keep your dinner plans simple.
The Five Minute Creamy Garlic and Herb Sauce
This is my favorite recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. It tastes very similar to an Alfredo sauce but feels much lighter in your stomach. It pairs beautifully with regular wheat pasta, chickpea pasta, or zucchini noodles.
Gather these ingredients to make it:
- One block of silken tofu, drained of excess water
- Two cloves of fresh garlic
- Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast or grated parmesan cheese
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- One tablespoon of lemon juice
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Black pepper to taste
- A handful of fresh basil or parsley
To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a blender. Blend on high for about thirty seconds until the sauce is completely smooth. Taste it and add a bit more salt or lemon juice if you want more zing.
Cook your favorite pasta in salted water. Before you drain the pasta, scoop out half a cup of the hot pasta water and set it aside. Drain the noodles and put them back in the pot off the heat. Pour the cold tofu sauce directly over the hot pasta and stir well. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the saved pasta water. The heat from the freshly cooked noodles will warm the sauce perfectly without cooking the tofu.
The Spicy Peanut Noodle Sauce
If you want something with a bit of a kick, this peanut sauce is incredible. It works well with spaghetti, ramen noodles, or flat rice noodles. You can eat this dish warm, or you can chill it in the fridge. It makes a wonderful high protein lunch to take to work the next day.
You will need these ingredients:
- One block of silken tofu, drained
- Three tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
- Two tablespoons of soy sauce
- One tablespoon of sriracha or chili paste
- One tablespoon of maple syrup or honey
- One teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
- One clove of garlic
Put everything in your blender and blend until it is smooth and creamy. If the peanut butter makes it too thick to blend easily, add one or two tablespoons of water to help it spin.
Toss this sauce with your cooked noodles. I highly recommend topping this dish with crushed peanuts, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. It feels like a fancy takeout noodle dish, but it is packed with clean protein and healthy fats.
The Creamy Tomato and Basil Sauce
If you love pink sauce or vodka sauce, this version is for you. Traditional pink sauce uses heavy cream to cut the sharp acidity of the tomatoes. We are using silken tofu instead. It gives you the same beautiful pink color and rich texture with much more protein.
Gather these ingredients:
- One block of silken tofu, drained
- One can of crushed tomatoes, about fourteen ounces
- Two tablespoons of tomato paste
- Two cloves of garlic, minced
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- One teaspoon of dried oregano
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil leaves
For this sauce, you want to cook the tomato base first to get rid of the raw canned taste. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute until it smells amazing. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer gently on the stove for about ten minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Pour the warm tomato mixture into your blender along with the silken tofu. Blend until the sauce is bright orange and perfectly smooth. Stir in some chopped fresh basil. Pour this warm sauce back over your cooked pasta and serve immediately.
Tips for Cooking with Silken Tofu Sauces
Working with tofu in pasta sauces is very easy, but a few simple tips will make sure your meals turn out great every time.
First, make sure you buy the right type of tofu. You must buy silken tofu. It often comes in shelf stable box packaging in the Asian food aisle, not in the refrigerated tub section. Do not buy firm or extra-firm tofu for these recipes. Firm tofu will not blend into a smooth cream. It will leave you with a grainy, watery sauce that ruins the texture of your pasta.
Second, do not boil the sauce on the stove. Silken tofu can separate or curdle if it gets too hot. The best method is to toss the room temperature sauce with hot, freshly drained pasta. The heat from the noodles is more than enough to make the sauce warm and delicious.
Third, do not forget the pasta water. Pasta water contains starch from the noodles. When you mix a splash of this salty, starchy water with your tofu sauce, it helps the sauce stick to the noodles instead of sliding off. It also makes the sauce look glossy.
If you enjoy finding healthy food swaps like this, we share new ideas regularly on HS Recipes. Trying different ingredients can make eating healthy feel exciting rather than boring.
Try This for Dinner Tonight
Pick up a box of silken tofu on your next grocery trip. It is very cheap, keeps on your pantry shelf for months, and makes dinner incredibly easy. Start with the garlic and herb sauce tonight. It takes less time than warming up a jar of sauce from the store, and it will keep you full and satisfied for hours.
