Lentil Pasta With Pesto, Tofu & Mushrooms: High Protein Vegan

Lentil Pasta With Sunflower Seed Pesto, Tofu And Mushrooms.

A High Protein Vegan Main Course With Japanese Style Tofu, Olives, Capsicum, Baby Tomatoes And Spinach.

Serves 4. Eat It Hot Or Warm.

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Lentil pasta with pesto, tofu and mushrooms.

Introduction to my lentil pasta

This lentil pasta is 250 g of lentil pasta tossed with a homemade sunflower seed and basil pesto, pan fried Japanese style tofu finished with tamari and mirin, fried mushrooms, olives, red capsicum, baby tomatoes and baby spinach. It’s vegan, it serves 4, and it’s a main course you can eat hot or warm.

It’s very filling, packed with protein, and so tasty. Between the lentil pasta and the tofu, it’s one of my go to high protein vegan meals.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Ingredients for lentil pasta

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish. It serves 4.

The pasta and tofu

250 g of lentil pasta
6 large pieces of Japanese style tofu, from the packets you can buy at Woolworths or Coles
Tamari and mirin, for the tofu
3 large mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil, for frying

Lentil pasta, olive oil, tofu, spinach, mushroom and baby tomatoes.

The vegetables

Olives, with the stones removed
Red capsicum, sliced
Baby tomatoes, washed and cut in half
Baby spinach leaves, washed

Japanese style tofu, baby spinach, mushroom and baby tomatoes.

The sunflower seed pesto

⅓ cup of sunflower seeds
1 bunch of basil
2 cloves of garlic
⅓ cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make lentil pasta

Use these steps to make this lentil pasta with pesto, tofu and mushrooms.

Step 1: Make the pesto

Blend the sunflower seeds, basil, garlic and olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Cook the tofu

Fry the tofu in olive oil.
At the end of cooking, add the tamari and mirin to marinate it.
Slice the tofu, and mix it in with the pesto.

Step 3: Fry the mushrooms

Fry the sliced mushrooms in olive oil.

Step 4: Prepare the vegetables

Remove the stones from the olives.
Slice the red capsicum.
Wash the baby tomatoes and cut them in half.
Wash the baby spinach.

Step 5: Cook the lentil pasta

Cook the lentil pasta in a large pot of salted water. Watch it, so it doesn’t overcook.
Drain it, rinse it, and put it into a large serving bowl.

Step 6: Mix it all together

Add the tofu and pesto, the mushrooms, olives, capsicum and tomatoes to the bowl.
Toss the baby spinach into the mix.
Serve hot or warm.

Toss everything together in a large bowl.

Serve it hot or warm.

Is lentil pasta vegan and gluten free?

This lentil pasta is vegan. The pesto has no cheese, and the protein comes from the lentil pasta and the tofu.

Lentil pasta is usually gluten free, but some brands add wheat, so check your packet. Check the labels on your tamari and mirin too.

How much protein is in lentils?

Cooked lentils have about 9 g of protein and 7.9 g of fibre in every 100 g, according to the USDA FoodData Central database. Lentil pasta is made from lentil flour, so check your packet for its exact figures. Add the tofu, and you can see why this is such a filling high protein vegan pasta.

Is this a pasta salad?

Not really. We eat it as a main course, hot or warm. You could serve it alongside other dishes, such as a salad, but we don’t normally do that.

Lentil pasta: quick questions answered

How many does this lentil pasta serve?

It serves 4, using 250 g of lentil pasta.

What tofu do you use?

Japanese style tofu, in the large pieces that come in packets from Woolworths or Coles. I use 6 pieces.

Do you eat it hot or cold?

Hot or warm, as a main course.

How do I stop lentil pasta going mushy?

Watch it while it cooks so it doesn’t overcook. Then drain it and rinse it.

What’s in the vegan pesto?

Sunflower seeds, a bunch of basil, garlic and olive oil, with salt and pepper to taste. There’s no cheese.

More Flametree tofu and pesto recipes

For another pesto with sunflower seeds, try my Darwin vegan pesto. For more tofu, try my black rice noodles stir fry with tofu and edamame, or my tofu and vegetable stir fry.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

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Meanwhile, start or re-start yoga or meditation with one of the HALF price deals below, or check out the retreat deals.

Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.