Baked Penne Rigate with Asparagus, Zucchini and Spinach

Dinner 03/14

Baked Penne Rigate with Asparagus, Zucchini and Spinach

Tonight's was another in a series of "things that needed to be used in the fridge" dinners starring silken tofu, asparagus, zucchini and baby spinach.

We started by marinating the asparagus in tamari and olive oil and then grilling them for 10 minutes or so until almost cooked through. We removed it from the grill and cut it into 1" pieces and set it aside.

While the asparagus was grilling, we heated a large saute pan on medium heat, added 1 tbs. of olive oil and sauteed a medium shallot (minced) for 2-3 minutes, then added 2 cloves of minced garlic for an additional 1 minute, along with salt, pepper. Then we added 1 cup of diced zucchini and cooked that for 5-6 minutes until just cooked through. Next, we turned off the heat, added 2 cups of baby spinach and turned it until lightly wilted.

In a large mixing bowl we added 8oz of silken tofu, 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, 1/4 cup of vegan sour cream, and used the immersion blender to combine. Using a microplane, we added a couple of zests of fresh nutmeg, then used it to zest 2 tbs. of Cheddar Sheese. 1/4 cup of Daiya Mozzarella, an extra pinch of salt & pepper, and 1/2 cup minced parsley and mixed it all together.

We then folded in the zucchini & spinach mixture, the grilled asparagus and cooked pasta into the bowl and stirred to combine everything. Finally, we put the pasta into buttered (with Earth Balance) ramekins and baked it at 375°F for 25min.

Tags: asparagus, pasta, penne, spinach, zucchini, tofu, daiya, sheese, nooch, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666