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Spicy Basil Tofu Ricotta

written by Parita 8 Comments

First and foremost, I want to wish my little sister a very happy birthday! May all your dreams and wishes come true! Love you, Aek!

From the looks of my recent posts, one would be inclined to think that I don’t cook anymore.  I haven’t posted a recipe in a really long time!

In my defense, 99.9% of the meals I’ve made in the past few months have been measurement free.  A little bit of this and a little bit of that.  And only afterwards do I think, “Oh, this meal was blog-worthy.”  Oops!

I’m turning into my mom!

Well, all of that is about to change with this post!  I finally have a new recipe to share.  *Gasp!*

Anyway, I’ve been trying to think of different ways to use tofu, as we are getting a little bored with the bake/grill method.  When I saw a box of jumbo pasta shells in our pantry, I knew exactly what I wanted to make – spicy tofu ricotta stuffed shells.

tofu ricotta 073

I’ve made tofu ricotta once before and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.  However, I couldn’t remember the recipe I used, so I went back to the internet for some inspiration.  After looking through a few different recipes, I picked one I liked and got to work, tweaking things as I went.  And this time I took notes!

The end result was delicious – a creamy, spicy and slightly tangy mixture that tasted amazing with the pasta and sauce.  And the basil added a ton of fresh flavor as well.  Personally, I think this would take the place of ricotta in a lot of dishes, including lasagna, sandwiches, pizza, etc.  And while it does not taste exactly like ricotta cheese, it does resemble it in many ways, namely the texture.

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Don’t believe me – try it out for yourself!

Spicy Tofu Ricotta
Inspired by this recipe

1 (14 ounce) block extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled***
1 ½ tablespoons tahini paste
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 ½ teaspoons lite soy sauce
Juice of ½ a medium lemon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
¼ (or to taste) teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh basil

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for basil and pulse until combined.  Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and fold in basil.

***If you don’t own a tofu press, feel free to make your own like me!  After draining the block of tofu, I wrap it in a bunch (~10) paper towels.  Next, I place my wrapped block of tofu on a plate or cutting board and top it with a heavy book.  And I keep it in the fridge until it’s ready to be used.  Voila – a homemade tofu press!

tofu ricotta 053

Have you ever tried tofu ricotta?  What’s your favorite “fake” food?  I love tempeh bacon!

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Written on October 2, 2013 Related:Food, Recipe

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  1. IHeartVegetables says

    October 2, 2013 at 7:15 am

    I’ve heard that tofu ricotta is good, but I haven’t tried it yet! I think my boyfriend would enjoy this, too!

    Reply
  2. Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani) says

    October 2, 2013 at 7:34 am

    YUM! I’ve never tried tofu ricotta but anything smothered in marinara sauce is always a keeper! My favorite “fake” food is probably vegetarian sausages. As much as i love meat, the ingredients in some of the regular sausages are scary!

    Reply
  3. momma says

    October 2, 2013 at 8:42 am

    I knew it, slowly but surely you would start using my creative good tricks when cooking!!! I am so proud of you pumkin 🙂

    Reply
  4. sprint2thetable says

    October 2, 2013 at 9:19 am

    Happy Birthday to your sister!!!

    I love using tofu to make cheese – I was just thinking I need to make a eggplant rollatini again. I swear you wouldn’t know it’s tofu!

    Reply
  5. Amanda @ .running with spoons. says

    October 2, 2013 at 11:12 am

    I made a spinach lasagna using tofu in place of cheese on a few occasions, and I really loved how it turned out. I even served some to my family and they had no idea they were eating tofu 😉 I just hope they’re not playing the same tricks on me when it comes to being sneaky with food 😯

    Reply
  6. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says

    October 2, 2013 at 11:28 am

    i have not tried tofu ricotta but made paneer using similar technique before. I love tofu so this will be really good I think. Happy Birthday to your Sister.

    Reply
  7. Tara says

    October 2, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    I love anything stuffed in pasta shells, I think they are my one weakness. We have a restaurant here in SF that stuffs theirs with spinach and mushrooms I always end up ordering it because I would regret it if I didn’t.

    PS: Love your homemade press! Looks like something I would do at home too. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Honey What's Cooking says

    October 3, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Never tried tofu ricotta, but I will now. If it’s smothered with sauce and cheese, it’ll be hard to decipher what’s in the ricotta. Looks delicious!
    Happy Birthday to your sis!

    Reply
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