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Home » Vegetarian Pasta Recipes » Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli

Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli

Published: Aug 19, 2015 · Modified: Sep 27, 2021 by Cooking Chat · This post may contain affiliate links

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Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli is a tasty vegetarian pasta meal.

Do you like a creamy pasta sauce? If you’d like a healthier option than traditional alfredo sauce, you’ve got to try this Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli!

When experimenting with recipes for my Collards & Kale Cookbook, I came up with a creamy pasta sauce that uses silken tofu for its consistency. Pureeing silken tofu with a bit of olive oil is an easy way to make a healthy, creamy sauce. I add some garlic and parsley for some extra flavor, and boom, you have a tasty sauce ready to go for your pasta. The sauce is vegan, so you can make this as a vegan dish by skipping the cheese or using a dairy free substitute.
Lightened Creamy Penne -- a tasty vegan pasta dish.

In today’s recipe I toss the lightened creamy penne with healthy steamed broccoli. When I get the broccoli steamed just tender, my ten year old will actually eat this healthy veggie with a smile on his face, so I’m always looking for more ways to use it!

Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli, vegan recipe for a healthy pasta dish. | cookingchatfood.com

Wine Pairing: I often gravitate toward Chardonnay or other full bodied whites for creamy pasta. But I had some 2014 Terra Santa Ile de Beaute Rosé ($10, 11.5 % alcohol) on hand, and thought I’d give it a try with our lightened creamy penne. This rosé is from Corsica, made from 100% Sciaccarellu grapes. It’s fresh and fruity, medium bodied. There’s a little kick in the pasta from the garlic, which is offset by the melon fruit of the wine. So I’d say you could enjoy this pasta with a rosé you like, provided that it is one with enough substance to stand up to the cream. But chard could do nicely, too. Cheers!

 

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Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli

Lighted Creamy Penne with Broccoli is a tasty vegetarian pasta meal.
Print Recipe

Silken tofu adds creaminess without the calories to this Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli. The dish can easily be made vegan by omitting the optional parmesan cheese topping or using a dairy-free alternative.

  • Author: Cooking Chat
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ozs penne pasta (other short shape would work)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ½ pack of silken tofu
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 bunch of broccoli, thick stalks removed and florets chopped
  • optional parmesan cheese for serving (use dairy free for a vegan dish)

Instructions

  1. Boil a pot of water to start cooking penne according to package instructions.
  2. Make the tofu cream sauce as the pasta cooks. Place the garlic cloves in a food processor, pulse to chop the garlic finely. Add the tofu, parsley, olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes, and puree. This gives you a nice creamy sauce. Set aside.
  3. Place the chopped broccoli on a vegetable steamer inside a pan with an inch or two of water at the bottom. Bring to a boil, and steam covered for 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli when steamed and set aside.
  4. Drain the penne when cooked, and toss immediately with the creamy tofu sauce.
  5. Stir the broccoli into the pasta with the creamy sauce. Serve hot, passing optional cheese for topping at the table.

Keywords: lightened pasta, pasta recipes with broccoli, using tofu for creamy sauce

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Catherine

    August 19, 2015 at 9:24 am

    Dear David, I do like to indulge once and a while with a creamy pasta, but this lightened up version will be my go-to when I feel like splurging. Looks and sounds delicious. Have a wonderful day, Catherine

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat

      August 19, 2015 at 4:51 pm

      Thanks Catherine! We do like the traditional creamy sauces too but nice to have something like this in the mix.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How You Can Be A Healthy Cook With This Collection of Healthy Cooking Tips - Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right says:
    February 15, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    […] Healthy Cooking Tip: use silken tofu to create a lightened creamy pasta sauce. Check out this Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli recipe. […]

    Reply
  2. 25 Fabulous Pasta Dishes for Meatless Meals | Day By Day in Our World says:
    March 18, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    […] Lightened Creamy Penne with Broccoli from Cooking Chat Food […]

    Reply

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Hi there! I'm David. I love creating tasty, (mostly) healthy recipes, finding great wine pairings, and sharing good food with family and friends. learn more about me!

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