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This Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta is the perfect springtime dish. Tender pasta is tossed in a light, glossy lemon sauce with asparagus and peas, then topped with dollops of creamy tofu ricotta. Add a handful of fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, or basil, to tie everything together.
If you're into fresh and bright, veggie-packed meals, you might want to give this Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta a try. It's light, yet cozy and filled with fresh spring flavors.
The pasta is silky and saucy, the veggies add a little bite, and the vegan ricotta cheese brings just enough creaminess without taking over. It also disappears fast in my house, which is always a good sign.
For extra fun, top it with some vegan parmesan cheese and serve it with a hunk of my no-knead artisan bread to soak up the extra sauce. And if you like the sound of tofu ricotta, you may want to try this vegan zucchini rollatin too. It's melt-in-your-mouth, good.
Ingredients for Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Extra-firm Tofu: Maintains structure, keeping the ricotta fluffy rather than dense or watery. I would avoid soft and medium tofu because it releases too much moisture.
- Nutritional Yeast: Substitute with finely grated vegan parmesan or 1 teaspoon of yellow miso.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh is recommended instead of bottled for the best flavor.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil works well for cooking, but when finishing the dish, it is best to use extra-virgin olive oil for optimal flavor.
- Shallot: Substitute ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion if needed.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic rather than jarred for a cleaner flavor.
- Asparagus + Peas: Substitute corn kernels, edamame, chopped sugar snap peas, or broccolini.
- Fresh Dill + Mint: Use your favorites here. Basil and parsley are perfect herbs to use, too.
- Short Pasta: Orecchiette, gemelli, cavatelli, conchiglie, and radiatori trap sauce in their curves so each bite will be saucy. Avoid long noodles for the best distribution.
How to make it
Start by heating your pasta water. Don't forget to salt generously! While that's heating up, you can make the tofu ricotta. Here's how to do it:
Break the tofu into pieces and add to a food processor. Now add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth with some texture remaining. Add the olive oil and process until creamy, but still thick enough to hold its shape.
- Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, adding the peas and asparagus for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Return the pot to the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil, then sauté the shallot for a few minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in ½ cup reserved pasta water, the pasta, and lemon zest. Stir until the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta. Gently fold in a few spoonfuls of tofu ricotta, adding more pasta water only as needed until glossy and lightly saucy. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and half the dill and mint; toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter, top with dollops of tofu ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, and the remaining herbs.
More pasta recipes to enjoy
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Recipe
Springtime Tofu Ricotta Pasta with Peas
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta such as orrechiette gemelli, cavatelli, or radiatori
- Kosher salt
- 1 bunch asparagus , trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas , thawed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil , plus more as needed
- 1 small shallot , finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- Fresh-cracked black pepper , to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest lemon before juicing)
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Tofu Ricotta
- 16 ounces extra-firm tofu , drained but not pressed
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest lemon before juicing)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt , more to taste
Recommended Equipment
- Large Pot
- Colander
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
- While the pasta water is heating, break up the drained tofu into a food processor. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Pulse until mostly smooth with some texture remaining. Add the olive oil and process until creamy and spreadable but still thick enough to hold its shape. Taste and adjust salt or lemon as needed.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until just shy of al dente. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus and peas to the pot. Cover with a lid to get the water boiling again and remove when it boils. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Return the same pot to the stove over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then sauté the shallot for 1-2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in ½ cup reserved pasta water, pasta, and lemon zest. Toss well to coat and stir until the sauce emulsifies and clings to the pasta. Gently fold in two small spoonfuls of the tofu ricotta. Add more pasta water only if needed, a few splashes at a time, until glossy and lightly saucy.
- Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and drizzle with a little more olive oil, tossing to combine. Stir in half of the dill and mint, reserving the rest for garnish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving platter. Spoon the tofu ricotta over the top in large dollops. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter the mint and dill over the top. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
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