This High-Protein Romesco Pasta is going to be your new favorite Busy Girl Dinner! This delicious bowl of pasta is perfect for low-energy days or when you don’t have much time to cook but want to ensure you get your protein in. It also reheats well, making it a fantastic, quick meal-prep option.
Combining a creamy, zesty, and flavorful romesco sauce with red lentil pasta, each serving packs a whopping 41 g of protein and 11 mg of iron, making it incredibly nourishing and satisfying, especially when paired with a handful of greens or grilled broccoli! Whether you’re looking for a post-workout meal or a simple, nutritious dinner, this one will be sure to satisfy!
This recipe is part of our Busy Girl Dinner series on social media! A collection of delicious meals that maximize nutrition for busy weeknight dinners.
If you love this, try our High-Protein Marry Me Pasta Meal Prep, High-Protein Marry Me Orzo, or High-Protein Vegan Mac and Cheese Meal Prep for three more creamy, high-protein pasta dinners. For more cozy weeknight options, browse our High-Protein Creamy Miso Butter Beans and High-Protein Shepherd’s Pie.
Why I Love This Recipe
- High-Protein: This recipe delivers a massive 41 g of protein per serving, making it perfect for anyone looking to include more plant-based protein in their diet. It’s a great post-workout meal.
- Iron-rich: With 11mg of non-heme iron per serving. The recipe contains vitamin C and garlic to boost non-heme iron absorption.
- High-Fiber: Packed with 16 g of fiber, this meal is great for improving digestion and keeping you full longer.
- Quick and Easy: Ready in just 10 minutes, it’s ideal for busy nights or efficient meal prep.
- Meal Prep Friendly: This dish stores well, reheats beautifully and is great for batch cooking.
Ingredient Notes
- Red Lentil Pasta: A protein-rich alternative to regular pasta, red lentil pasta is also naturally gluten-free.
- Extra-Firm Tofu: Tofu provides a creamy base for the romesco sauce, adding a boost of plant-based protein and calcium. For a soy-free option, you can use soaked cashews instead.
- Marinated Red Bell Peppers: These peppers add a deep, slightly tangy flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have marinated ones. They last a really long time in the fridge, and I always have some on hand!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These provide a concentrated, tangy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the rich flavor of the peppers. For an oil-free option, use sun-dried tomatoes packed without oil.
How to Make This Recipe (Summary)
Cook the red lentil pasta according to the package instructions, adding frozen broccoli to the pot for an easy veggie boost. Blend the sauce ingredients, including marinated red bell peppers, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, chili flakes, lemon juice, and vegetable broth, until smooth. Add more broth if needed for consistency. Combine the cooked pasta and sauce in a pot and heat until warmed through. Adjust salt to taste, then top with fresh parsley and toasted slivered almonds for garnish. View recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Variations and Tips
- Soy-Free Option: Swap tofu with soaked cashews for a creamy, soy-free version of the sauce.
- Add Greens: Stir in spinach or kale toward the end of cooking for an extra nutrient boost.
- Serve with veggies: Stir-fried broccoli, broccolini, mushrooms or small tomatoes would all go very well with this.
- Use toasted nuts: they bring a much deeper flavor.
- If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our High-Protein Lasagna Meal-Prep, High-Protein Pumpkin Pasta, or High-Protein Vegan Marry Me Pasta.
Why You’ll Love This High Protein Romesco Pasta TLDR
- Protein-packed
- Quick
- Flavorful
- Nutritious
- Meal prep friendly
10-Minute High Protein Romesco Pasta (Vegan and GF)
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) red lentil pasta
- 5.3 oz (150 g) extra-firm tofu
- 5 oz (140 g) jarred roasted red bell peppers
- 1 oz (30 g) sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp (15 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic - peeled
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) red chili flakes
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) low-sodium vegetable stock
- sea salt flakes - to taste
- 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (20 g) toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- In a blender add the red bell peppers, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, chili flakes, lemon juice, vegetable broth, and a pinch of salt. Blend until perfectly smooth, add a little bit more broth if needed.
- Transfer the cooked pasta and sauce to a pot, and cook for a couple of minutes to heat up the sauce. Adjust salt to taste.
- Top with parsley and slivered almonds, and enjoy!
Notes
Video
Per Serving/Portion
FAQ
Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free thanks to the red lentil pasta.
This recipe does not require any oil. Select oil-free sun-dried tomatoes and marinated peppers packed in water for a 100% oil-free meal.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Soaked cashews or are great substitutes for the extra-firm tofu in the sauce.
I don’t recommend freezing this one. The texture wouldn’t thaw well, and freezing the tofu can alter its texture significantly.
If you’re using red lentil pasta, I usually mix the sauce through. Red lentil pasta gets quite dry otherwise.
Yes, you can use silken tofu or a softer tofu if that’s what’s available to you. Just keep in mind that softer tofu contains more water, so it usually has less soy per gram and will be lower in protein. Start with the same quantity, then adjust from there, adding a little more as you taste.
This recipe makes 2 servings, so the macros listed are for half the recipe. You can find the number just above the ingredient list and adjust it if you’d like to make more servings.
You can skip it if you prefer. Nutritional yeast is different from the yeast used in baking, it’s deactivated yeast and won’t make food rise. It has a cheesy, umami flavor and is often used to replace cheese in plant-based recipes. It’s also high in protein and B vitamins.
If you can do tomatoes, some sun-dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes could be lovely as a swap.
Pulse pasta varies a lot in taste and texture between brands, so it’s worth trying another one if you didn’t love your first. Whole wheat or whole spelt are also great alternatives if you can’t find a pulse pasta you like.
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I put the sauce ingredients in a blender for ages but it still came out grainy and not as flavoursome as I thought it would be. Next time I will try with silence tofu, more sundried tomato and a touch of miso paste
Hi Sk, thank you for trying the recipe! If the sauce was still grainy, it sounds like a blender issue. As mentioned in step 2, if needed, add a little bit more broth to get to your desired consistency 🙂
My husband says he does like tofu or pasta. I made this recipe without telling him the ingredients. He loved it so much he asked me to make it the following night. The next morning I told him he ate pasta with tofu. He has me to make it again. It is a winner in our family and is so easy to make. Thank you Sarah.
Haha I love that Wendy! So happy it was a hit 💕
If I am going to make this for meal prep, should I store the sauce and pasta separately?
If using red lentils pasta, I usually mix the sauce through as they get quite dry otherwise 😊 Hope you love it Jaime, let us know how you go x
Hi! Would this sauce freeze well if I separated it out from the pasta? I’ve loved every recipe of yours I’ve tried – thanks so much!
Hi Randi, I have not tried freezing this one. I’m not sure how it would turn out because of the tofu, since freezing tofu often alters its texture significantly. Let us know if you try 🥰
I made this last night, it was easy and delicious! I have only cooked with tofu a few times before, so it was fun to use it in a completely different way than I have before. I also made your veggie bowl with yoghurt/mint/tahini sauce this week. Your recipes have been popping up a lot and I have saved many of them, they make plant based eating seem really accessible,filling and delicious! Thank you
This makes me so happy to read, thank you for taking the time to share it 🥰 I love that you found a new way to incorporate tofu 🥰
Why extra firm tofu, how does it differ from natural tofu or other types? Wondering if it plays a big difference, as I find it harder to find, but if it makes a difference, I would try harder. 😊
Hey Ana, extra-firm tofu is the most common type in Australia, where I live. I’m not sure what “natural tofu” refers to, but generally the different types of tofu just mean more or less water has been pressed out, so you get a more (or less) concentrated soy product.
You can absolutely use silken tofu, or a softer tofu that’s available to you. Just keep in mind that because it contains more water, it usually has less soy per gram, so it will be lower in protein.
I’d start with the same quantity, then adjust from there, adding a little more as you taste. Hope you love it, and let us know how you go!
How many servings are the macros based on? Thanks!
Hey Theresa! This recipe makes for two servings. The macros are therefore for half of the recipe. You can find this number above the ingredient list and even adjust it if you want to make more servings. Hope you love it!