We’re making tofu noodles–and I’m not talking tofu sauteed up with noodles, I’m talking tofu pasta dough packed with protein, perfectly chewy, and the best addition to your week night dinner rotation. Tofu is a versatile fermented soy product and an incredible binder for DIY dough. These handmade vegan noodles require only 3 ingredients, and can be customized with whatever you have on hand. But a spicy peanut butter sauce with bok choy is about as good as it gets, trust me on this one.
Easy to whip up, you can make with or without a pasta maker. Feel free to get creative with your noodle shapes, they don’t need to be perfect, in my opinion, a rustic look works best. This recipe is ideal for all of my plant-based foodies on a budget! Each serving is just under $2–great for families or individual meal prep. There’s a good chance you have most everything in your pantry to make this one. (I’ve already made it 3x this week, it’s that good!)
The easiest handmade tofu noodle recipe for a protein packed, plant-based meal. Budget friendly with each serving under $2, these noodles are spicy, saucy, and full of flavor vegans (and everyone) will love!
makes: 4 servings | prep time: 25 min | rest time: 30 minutes | total time: 25 min
The sauce
1. Open tofu, drain. Slice in half (measure out in grams, approx.) Press tofu between palms over the sink to release excess water. Place in large bowl.
2. Mash tofu with a fork until crumbly.
3. Add in flour and salt.
4. Continue mashing until just combined. Using clean hands, mash the mixture with one hand until a well combined ball forms.
5. On a clean surface, knead the dough ball for 5 – 6 minutes. Should be tacky with no loose bits.
6. Return dough to bowl. Cover with a plate or clean towel for 30 minutes on the counter.
7. While dough is resting, prepare vegetables.
8. Mince or finely chop red onion. Set aside.
9. Halve, then slice baby bok choy. Set aside.
10. Once dough is rested, take the dough out and using a knife or bench scraper, cut into quarters.
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If hand rolling:
11. On a well floured surface roll out the first quarter of dough as thinly as possible without tearing, approx ¼” – ⅛”. Aim to keep a rectangle shape by gently peeling up the dough and flipping until you have a long stretch. Flour your rolling pin as needed.
12. Once rolled out use your knife or bench scraper to slice ½” noodles as equal as possible (a rustic look is just fine.)
13. One by one, place your noodles on a clean plate, lightly flouring each layer so it doesn’t stick (you should be able to gently pull apart.)
14.Repeat steps 11 – 13 with the remaining 3 quarters of dough.
If using a pasta maker:
11. Set your pasta maker on the widest setting. Flatten your dough into a disc with your palms and pass through the widest setting. Change the roller setting to the next size down and run your dough through again. Continue passing your dough through each roller setting until you’ve achieved approx ¼” – ½” thickness, lightly flouring your dough as needed.
12. Change from roller setting to the thicker cutting setting (my machine moves the handle from the roller side to the cutting side.) Carefully pass your stretched dough through the cutting setting and catch your fresh cut noodles on the other side.
13. Place your noodles on a clean plate lightly flouring each layer so it doesn’t stick (you should be able to gently pull apart.)
14. Repeat steps 11 – 13 with the remaining 3 quarters of dough.
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15. Fill a large pot with water and add approx 3 – 4 tbsp kosher salt to heavily salt your pasta water. Place on high heat and let come to a boil.
16. While water is boiling, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium. Once hot, add in onions and kosher salt and saute for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
17. Add chili flake, tomatoes, peanut butter, soy sauce, and water. Stir together.
18. Let cook an additional 3 – 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
19. Once water has boiled, carefully add in your noodles. Stir the pot to ensure noodles don’t stick to each other. Let cook for 3 – 4 minutes or until noodles have floated to the top.
20. Collect ¼ cup pasta water from the pan and add to the sauce. Mix thoroughly. Turn off heat.
21. Strain the noodles and add to the sauce pan.
22. Add in baby bok choy and using tongs, toss noodles, bok choy, and the sauce until evenly coated.
23. Serve and enjoy! This stores well in the about 2 – 3 days and best enjoyed warmed up.
Note on storing dough: You can prepare dough ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I have not tested this dough in the freezer, but try freezing quartered dough and thawing 8 hours in the fridge before use. Or try freezing pre-cooked, pre-cut noodles in batches to drop into boiling water when ready.
