Vegan Feta with Spinach, Tomato and White Bean Pasta

That’s a long name for a dish.  Vegan Feta with Spinach, Tomato, and White Bean Pasta.  Way too long!  But I had to try to describe it to you!!  Really, at our house, it was always just called, ‘The Feta Meal”.  Because it’s really all about the feta.  Not that the rest isn’t good – it’s great!  But the feta is the ‘piece de’ resistance’ – the finishing touch.  (I at least looked up the spelling for that, but the accents and my keyboard are not cooperating.  Oh well, you get the idea!)

So because this is an uber quick meal, you start by grabbing 3 cans.  (Can you do it?  Yes you can!  Sorry, mom joke!  Bob the builder and I are friends, lol. 😉 )  Two of italian diced tomatoes (Muir Glen is great), and one can of Cannellini Beans.  I know, they sound fancy.  Sorry, but they’re really not.  They’re just navy beans.  BUT, when you serve this to guests and they rave about it, remember they’re Cannellini Beans (and actually some cans say that when you buy it, so it does help to know!! 😉 )  I mention this in the recipe below, too, but drain and rinse the beans before adding, to avoid diluting the tomato flavor.

One of the things I really love about the beans in this recipe is that you are adding awesome protein to your carbohydrate meal!  We all love our pasta, but the beans are a great way to get your good ole’ legumes in!  So good for us.  I’ve been told we should eat beans at every meal – so here you go!  Beans AND pasta!  Yeah!

Ideally, the tofu feta should be made several hours ahead of time and allowed to marinate.  🙂  If your life is like mine, you didn’t really have time to think hours and hours ahead.  I mean, I barely have time to think at ALL.  Haha..  Mama, mama, that’s about all I think, I mean hear most of the time!  😉

Also, about the tofu feta, I used Firm tofu as opposed to Extra firm in this recipe.  It’s really just a personal preference, so if you like one texture more than the other as a general rule, go with that.

Since you were cooking your pasta while preparing the rest of this 😉 you are now ready to fold your baby spinach into the pasta sauce to just wilt before serving this beautiful and delectable dish!  Lightly drizzle all with a tich of Extra Virgin Olive oil, serve with crusty Tuscan style bread to sop up all the flavors, and be sure to put the extra Tofu Feta on the table – you’ll be wanting more!  😉

Vegan Feta with Spinach, Tomato and White Bean Pasta

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 262 kcal

We Call this the Feta Meal.  The Tomato Sauce with White Beans and wilted spinach 

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Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Pasta of your choice cook according to package directions
• 1 Can White Cannellini Beans
• 2 Cans Italian Diced Tomatoes garlic, basil, oregano
• 3 oz. Baby Spinach or about 3 packed cups Save aside until the last.
• 14 oz. Firm Tofu
• 3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 T. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice
• 1 T. Yeast Flakes
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp. Dried Basil

Instructions

Getting Started:

1. First, get the water for your pasta on to boil. Follow directions for cooking pasta while preparing the rest of the meal.

2. Open cans of tomatoes and add to large pan, turning on very low heat. Open Cannellini beans, drain and rinse well before adding to pan warming canned tomatoes. Let these warm and simmer together on low while preparing tofu feta.

Make the Tofu Feta

1. Ideally, the tofu feta would be made several hours ahead of time to allow the tofu to absorb the flavors well. Since this almost never happens at my house and everyone still loves it, no sweat if you didn’t plan this ahead of time! Just carry on.
2. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, spices, yeast flakes and salt in a small bowl.
3. Squeeze the tofu to remove as much water as possible. Dice into approx 1/4 in. squares.
4. Pour tofu into bowl with seasonings and mix to coat well. Tofu will break down some. That is perfect.

Finish the Sauce

1. Now take the fresh spinach and place it in simmering tomato/bean sauce. Turn off heat. Dip sauce over spinach allowing it to soften and wilt spinach. Add a dash of cayenne if you like it.
2. Layer pasta, sauce, and tofu feta on dinner plates, drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve with crunchy tuscan bread and extra tofu feta! Voila!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts do Not include Pasta.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Feta with Spinach, Tomato and White Bean Pasta

Amount Per Serving (1.5 cup)

Calories 262 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Sodium 500mg 21%

Potassium 649mg 19%

Total Carbohydrates 36g 12%

Dietary Fiber 8g 32%

Sugars 5g

Protein 19g 38%

Vitamin A 56.3%

Vitamin C 11.7%

Calcium 31.4%

Iron 40.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.