This divinely silky Gochujang pasta packed full of deep savory umami flavors is served piled up high with crispy roasted Gochujang tofu bites for a perfectly comforting weeknight dinner.

Super creamy but made without cream or milk, this vegan pasta recipe checks all the boxes: mouth watering flavor, dairy free comfort food, easy to make and packed with delicious protein and micro nutrients.

The Gochujang Pasta Sauce

Raw Cashews – This silky and creamy sauce is made with a base of soaked cashews for the ultimate smooth texture. A quick soak of 20 minutes in hot boiling water is more than enough and if you are using a powerful Vitamix blender you could get away without soaking them at all.
Gochujang Paste – a Korean condiment that is both sweet, savory and a little spicy with a complex umami flavor profile made from fermented red chili paste, fermented soybeans and glutinous rice. I use it both in the sauce and for seasoning the tofu, it’s a key ingredient of this recipe so please don’t leave it out. Note worthy – the Gochugaru flakes are not a direct substitute for the paste, they have a different texture and flavor and would not work as a substitute for this recipe.
Tomato Paste – For a subtle touch of sweetness and to balance the chili paste, use a double concentrate one if available.
White Miso – For both depth of flavor and extra savoriness, you can use either a soy or chickpea based miso as desired.
Shoyu – for more umami and extra layers of flavor.
Turmeric – Just a little pinch of a nice golden color and for its anti-inflammatory properties (make sure to add some freshet cracked black pepper as well for best absorption).

The Gochujang Tofu

Super Firm Tofu – I used a 16 oz block of super firm tofu that does not need any pressing at all. If your blocks are a little bit smaller do not worry about it, just proceed with the recipe as is. Extra firm tofu can be used as well, you might want to roast it a few extra minutes for any trapped moisture to evaporate during cooking. Use your hands to tear it into bite size little pieces to your liking, considering it will shrink some during cooking.
Shoyu – Your first deep layer of seasoning that gets soaked up into the tofu and concentrates as it cooks. Don’t skip it!
Gochujang Paste – For rich bold flavor to compliment your pasta.
Nutritional Yeast – Savory, cheesy flavor packed full of B vitamins and helps with a crispy texture. really great stuff but if you don’t have any just skip it this time and add it to your grocery list.
Onion Powder + Sweet Smoked Paprika – Both fantastic aromatics I love using when seasoning tofu.
Cornstarch – Because I added quite a bit of moisture to season the tofu, I like to toss it in some cornstarch to help achieve those beautiful crispy edges during roasting. It’s not the end of the world if you leave it out but If you have some in the pantry already just use it here!

Choosing the Pasta

I prefer a short shape pasta with ridges for this sauce, I used Mezzi rigatoni which is basically a smaller shorter version of rigatoni. I find it quite adorable and ideal for capturing extra sauce and it’s similar in size to the roasted tofu pieces delivering a perfect ratio of pasta to meaty tofu in every bite. However, this sauce can work really nice with any kind of flat noodles, bucatini and even some type of udon.

On Storage + Reheating

Although best served hot and fresh, any leftovers keep well in the fridge up to 5 days and can be reheated in the microwave oven or on the stove top in a skillet. Store the tofu separately and reheat it in a skillet or the oven to get it crisp back up again.

Not to Be Missed Vegan Pasta

How to Make Tofu Gochujang Pasta