Butter Garlic Noodles Paired with Breaded Tofu

Where are my pasta lovers at? You must try this cozy and comforting Butter Garlic Noodle Bowl! Tossed with asparagus, capers, and paired with crispy breaded baked tofu. This recipe is simple and easy to make and is budget friendly. This pasta dish is vegan and can be made gluten-free with switching out the noodles and breadcrumbs.

This dish is a spin on one of my go-to college recipes that my roommate and I would make all the time. We loved making a huge pasta bowl with veggies, butter sauce, and tons of seasoning. Being a college student we were always looking for recipes that were budget friendly and kept us feeling full for so long and this one definitely did that.

For the vegetables in the pasta I used what I had in my refrigerator which was fresh asparagus and jarred capers. However, you can add any type of vegetables that you have. I prefer fresh vegetables for this noodle bowl but if you have frozen you can use those as well. I would just be cautious when cooking with frozen vegetables since they let out a lot of liquid when cooking them.

Vegetables that I recommend to add to your pasta bowl :

Sun-dried tomatoes
Artichoke hearts
Mushrooms
Fresh broccoli
Fresh spinach
Tomatoes

This noodle bowl is paired with baked breaded tofu. To save cooking time I made the tofu first and while it was baking made the Butter Garlic Noodle Bowl.

HOW TO MAKE BREADED TOFU

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Spray a large pan with oil and set aside.
Take the tofu out of the package and drain excess water. Rise the tofu and pat dry using a paper towel.
Place the tofu on 2 paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and put it on a large plate.
Add 2-3 heavy ceramic bowls on top of the tofu. The weight of the bowls will not squish or break the tofu but will simply just push the majority of the water out of the tofu. Let the tofu release the excess water for 20-30 minutes.
Cut tofu into bite size pieces. If you like extra crispy tofu, cut them into thin small pieces.
Add the breadcrumb mixture in one bowl. Add dairy-free milk in another bowl. Dip your tofu pieces in the milk and then in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to cover the entire piece of tofu. Place the tofu on the baking pan. Repeat steps until you have breaded all of your tofu.
Bake tofu for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and flip tofu pieces. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Substitutions

I wanted to share some of the recipe ingredients that you can swap out in case you do not have the ones I listed in your pantry or refrigerator.

Farfalle Pasta- Any type of pasta

Olive oil- Any type of neutral oil

Minced garlic – Garlic Powder

Vegetables- Use what you have in your refrigerator.

Dairy-free butter- If you are not vegan regular butter works well.

This Butter Garlic Noodle Bowl is:

Comforting

Buttery

Kid friendly

Budget friendly

Simple and easy

Can be made gluten-free

When you make this pasta I would love it if you would snap a photo of your food and share it with me on instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!

Butter Garlic Noodles Bowl with Breaded Tofu

Servings: 3
Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Tossed with asparagus, capers, and paired with crispy breaded baked tofu. This recipe is simple and easy to make and is budget friendly.

Pasta

8 ounces of pasta, cooked according to the back of the package, substitute for GF.

Garlic Butter Sauce

1 Tbsp neutral oil, I used olive oil
1 ½ cups of asparagus, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic, add more to make it extra garlicky
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
⅓ cup butter, packed. I recommend using dairy-free Earth Balance butter.
2 Tbsp capers, from the jar
¼ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Breaded Tofu

1 package of extra firm tofu, pressed with the water removed.
1 cup breadcrumbs, substitute for GF.
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup dairy-free milk

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Spray a large pan with oil to help prevent sticking. Set the pan aside.
Cut the tofu into bite size pieces. If you like extra crispy tofu, cut them into thin small pieces.
In a medium bowl make the breadcrumb mixture. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, breadcrumbs and mix.
Add dairy-free milk in another bowl. Dip your tofu pieces in the milk and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to cover the entire piece of tofu. Place the tofu on the baking pan. Repeat steps until you have breaded all of your tofu.
Bake tofu for 20 minutes. Take out, flip, and bake again for an additional 20 minutes.
While your tofu is baking, heat a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the oil, minced garlic, and asparagus. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly.
Add the nutritional yeast and butter and mix until the butter has melted.
Slowly add the pasta, capers, salt and pepper and mix. Turn heat down to low.
Take the baked tofu out of the oven and toss it with the pasta. Taste the pasta and season with additional seasoning (if needed).
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days.

Make it Your Own

Substitute the bow tie pasta with anytype of pasta that you have in your pantry.
Like a little extra spice? Sprinkle some crushed red pepper to the top of your noodle bowl
Garnishes that I recommend for this noodle bowl include, pepper, cheese, fresh herbs, or additional nutritional yeast.