Vegan Creamy Cajun Pasta with Soy Curls

Spicy creamy Cajun Pasta is my new addiction. I was looking for a different kind of pasta and instantly thought of Chili’s Cajun Pasta.. so naturally, I decided to try and make it. Let me just say…THANK GOODNESS I DID!!! I had this tested and re-tested by my entire non-vegan family and they loved it more than the restaurant pasta. SUCH A WIN!!




How do you cook soy curls?

Soy curls come dehydrated, so you’re going to have rehydrate them before you use them. Take your soy curls and pour boiling water over it, let them soak for at least 10 minutes. You’ll notice the soy curls starting to expand and plump up. After 10 minutes, drain the soy curls and rinse in cold water.

Before you can cook the soy curls you have to remove all the excess moisture. Take some of the soy curls in your hands and squeeze out all the moisture, then transfer to a clean bowl. Your soy curls are now ready to use and cook.




Where can I find soy curls?

Soy curls are AMAZING, but a bit hard to find locally. My favorite brand is Butler soy curls; I typically buy mine on Amazon (for fastest delivery), but you can also buy them directly from their website.

I will have to say, once you use soy curls you won’t want to use ANY other plant based protein – it’s THAT good!




How do I get the sauce to be extra creamy?

Vitamix! It’s seriously the best blender in the market in my opinion. I use it for all my sauces, dips, cheeses, and soups. It’s the only blender I’ve used that actually makes my cheese sauces extra creamy and lump free, even when I throw raw cashews (without soaking) in there. If you don’t have a Vitamix, then I would strongly suggest to break your tofu up in small pieces or crumble it and use a good quality high speed blender (Instant Pot Blender is my second favorite and much more affordable than Vitamix).



Description

Ingredients

For the soy curls:

  • 2 cups soy curls - rehydrated
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1-2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 cup GF bread crumbs
  • Salt to taste

For the sauce:

To saute:

  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 2-3 tbsp veggie broth

All else:

  • Cooked Gluten Free Pasta of choice (I used Gluten Free Farfalle pasta)
  • Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Ingredients

Instructions

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  1. Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper.

  2. Start by making your soy curls. Rehydrate your soy curls by soaking them in boiling hot water for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse them in cold water. Take a handful of soy curls and squeeze them to get rid of any moisture - transfer to a clean bowl.
  3. To the soy curls add the corn starch, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and tamari - mix thoroughly then add in the gluten free bread crumbs and mix again, making sure all the soy curls are evenly covered in the mixture.
  4. Transfer to the baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  5. While the soy curls are baking, make the sauce. In a high speed blender (I only trust my Vitamix), add all the sauce ingredients and blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside
  6. In a saute pan, add 1 tsp of vegan butter (this is completely OPTIONAL), if you want to make this recipe oil free then omit this step.

  7. Add in onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until they start to turn translucent, add in the minced garlic and mushrooms and saute for another 7-8 minutes until the onions and mushrooms brown. As soon as it’s browned and starts to stick to the pan, add the veggie broth and mix well.
  8. Add in the blended sauce and mix everything until well combined.
  9. Fold in the cooked pasta and baked soy curls to make sure everything is well incorporated.
  10. If you want to make it more creamy, add 1/4 cup of warm almond milk and mix.
  11. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

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