High Protein Vegan Lentil Pasta with Air-Fried Tempeh

Ingredients

• 50 g wild garlic
• 50 g toasted cashews
• 40 g nutritional yeast (for sauce)
• 20 g rocket (arugula)
• 250 g peas
• 1 garlic (clove)
• 100 g silken tofu
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 0.5 lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
• 25 ml olive oil (for sauce)
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 100 ml pasta water (reserved from cooking pasta)
• 215 g red lentil pasta (use up to 280g for 4 servings)
• 1 block tempeh (standard block approx 200-250g)
• 0.25 cup pumpkin and sunflower seeds (mixed)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for tempeh)
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (for tempeh seasoning)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• salt and pepper (pinch)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the wild garlic, toasted cashews, 40g nutritional yeast, rocket, peas, garlic clove, silken tofu, salt, pepper, lemon juice, 25ml olive oil, and the vegetable stock cube into a blender.

2. 2

   Blend the sauce ingredients until smooth. Set aside until the pasta is ready.

3. 3

   Cook the red lentil pasta in a pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Before draining, reserve 100ml of the starchy pasta water.

4. 4

   Add the reserved 100ml of pasta water to the blended sauce and pulse to combine.

5. 5

   Chop the tempeh into bite-sized pieces.

6. 6

   In a bowl, toss the chopped tempeh and the mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds with 1 tbsp olive oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic granules, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

7. 7

   Place the seasoned tempeh and seeds into an air fryer and cook at 200°C (400°F) for 8-10 minutes until crispy.

8. 8

   Stir the blended sauce through the cooked and drained pasta. Heat gently in the pot for a minute or two until warmed through.

9. 9

   Plate the pasta and top with the air-fried tempeh and seed mixture. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from BOSH!'s rocket, pea, and pistachio pesto linguine. Using red lentil pasta significantly boosts the protein content compared to wheat pasta.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegan
• high-protein
• plant-based
• pasta
• air-fried
• healthy
• lunch