The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Aubergine & Fennel Pasta with Smoky Tofu
Easy to make, easy to devour. Smoked tofu, sweet raisins and crunchy pine nuts join silky cashew cream and fragrant tarragon in this enticing one-pot pasta bake. Vitamin-dense fennel, kale and aubergine for your daily veg.
Prep in 10
7 plants
Low sat fat
Serving size
Ingredients
- 20g pine nuts
- 250g brown rice penne (Eggs)
- 1 garlic bulb (use half)
- 1 vegetable stock cube (Celery) (Sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil*, sugar*, vegetables*(6,8%) [celery*, onion*, carrot*, parsnip*, tomato*], sunflower oil*, yeast extract, caramelised sugar*, herbs* & spices* ( lovage*, turmeric*, parsley*, black pepper*) *Organic ingredients)
- 1 aubergine
- 225g smoked tofu (Soya) (Water, Soya Beans, Nigari, Sea Salt)
- 40g raisins (Raisins, Sunflower Oil)
- 80g sliced kale
- 200ml cashew cream (Nuts) (water, cashew (7%), sunflower oil, stabiliser (arabic gum, xanthan gum), sea salt)
- 1 fennel
- 2 shallot
- 1 handful of fresh tarragon
Nutritional Information
Calories: 524
Protein: 18g
Carbs: 61g
Fat: 23g
Aubergine & Fennel Pasta with Smoky Tofu
Easy to make, easy to devour. Smoked tofu, sweet raisins and crunchy pine nuts join silky cashew cream and fragrant tarragon in this enticing one-pot pasta bake. Vitamin-dense fennel, kale and aubergine for your daily veg.
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Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 240C / fan 220C / gas mark 9. Dice the aubergine into 1cm cubes. Place on a lined baking tray and toss with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of sea salt. Roast for 20-25 mins, until soft and golden.
- Finely slice the shallots and fennel. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes. Roughly chop the pine nuts. Heat a large frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and fennel and cook for 5-6 mins, until golden brown.
- Make the pine nut tofu; heat another frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the tofu and season with a pinch of sea salt. Cook for 5-6 mins, until golden. Add the pine nuts and cook for 2 mins, until the nuts are toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan filled with salted boiling water on medium heat. Add the penne and boil for 7-8 mins, until cooked, then drain. Meanwhile, pick the tarragon leaves from the stalks and finely chop. Finely chop or crush 4 garlic cloves.
- Add the garlic, kale and raisins to the shallot pan. Cook for 2 mins, then add the tarragon (to taste), 200ml hot water and crumble in the stock cube. Boil for 4-5 mins, until the liquid reduces by half. Add the cream then simmer for another 3-4 mins, until thickened. Add the cooked penne and roasted aubergine to the sauce and mix. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Serve the penne on plates and scatter over the pine nut tofu.
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