A versatile and nutritious vegan frittata featuring your favorite pasta and veggies! Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and a great way to use up leftover pasta. Nut-free with oil-free and gluten-free options.
If you’re looking for an endlessly versatile and customizable pasta frittata recipe, one that can take on any veggies you have in the fridge and any type of pasta you might have on hand, look no further! The combination of silken tofu and extra firm tofu with the very egg-like kala namak (Indian black salt) creates such a creamy and satisfying vegan egg substitute. And with tender noodles baked inside, this pasta frittata easily crosses over into vegan comfort food territory.
Let’s get to it! I’ll show you my favorite way to make this pasta frittata, and just before the recipe card I’ll sum up a few substitutions you can make to affect the texture and/or accommodate dietary preferences.
Ingredients in Vegan Pasta Frittata
This is a summary. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for complete instructions.
- silken tofu (I used the type from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, not the shelf-stable type)
- extra firm tofu (you’ll find this sitting right next to the silken tofu in the refrigerated section)
- kala namak (I order this online; it gives vegan egg dishes their sulfuric eggy aroma and flavor and adds saltiness)
- corn starch (to help the egg mixture set…. but not too much)
- turmeric, onion, garlic, and mustard powder
- dried basil and/or oregano (experiment with your favorite fresh or dried herbs and spices)
- nutritional yeast
- angel hair or spaghetti (traditional angel hair is my favorite in this dish; sub whole-wheat or any gluten-free spaghetti noodle, as desired)
- Optional but recommended: Violife’s Just Like Parmesan or sub homemade oil-free vegan parm, or a different store-bought vegan cheese!
- And for the veggies:
- spinach
- onion
- mushrooms
- tomatoes
- garlic
Other fun additions: chopped kale, bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli, olives, beans, vegan sausage crumbles.
For the most streamlined prep, it helps to have a 12-inch, oven-safe, non-stick skillet like the one shown below. But don’t worry if you don’t have one large enough or oven-safe to at least 400 degrees. There’s always a way!
After completing the stovetop sauté, the entire frittata mixture can be transferred to a different baking dish. Just keep in mind it needs to be one large enough to hold a similar volume. If using a dish smaller in diameter than 12 inches, the frittata will be thicker (decreased surface area) and likely need a longer cook time.
There are three basic components to this vegan frittata recipe:
- blended tofu egg mixture
- cooked pasta
- sautéed veggies
The photos below show how easily the frittata comes together. Imagine you’ve already cooked the noodles and blended the tofu mixture. Next…
- Sauté the onion and mushrooms, then add the tomatoes and garlic plus a generous pinch or two of salt and pepper. Add dried herbs, if you like.
- Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a minute or two, just until slightly wilted.
- Next, add the cooked noodles to the pan and toss with the veggies. Add grated vegan cheese, if using. Finally, pour the blended tofu mixture into the pan. Use a silicone spatula to gently combine everything, ensuring there are no large clumps of noodles and that the vegetables are evenly distributed around the pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center is hot and appears mostly set. Let the frittata cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before sliding it onto a cutting board.
I included the photo below just to show you the texture of the blended tofu mixture prior to baking. Ultra smooth and creamy!
When you pull your vegan pasta frittata from the oven, the outer edges will be more done, but still tender, while the middle will still be a little creamy. The creamy aspect is one of my favorite things about this dish! If you were ever a fan of soft-cooked eggs or even if you just love creamy dairy-free sauces, I think you’ll love it, too.
Options and Substitutions:
For a firmer, less creamy frittata, you can reduce the amount of water in the tofu mixture by either pressing the extra firm tofu first (don’t try to press the silken tofu), or use a super firm style like Trader Joe’s vacuum-sealed tofu.
About the pasta… because of the thickness of the noodles, 6 ounces of angel hair produces MUCH more pasta than 6 ounces of spaghetti. So just keep this in mind when selecting a pasta. You can see in the photos above that the frittata I made using angel hair is packed full of noodles! Now take a look at the photo below. I made this frittata with 6 ounces of whole-wheat spaghetti, but it looks like there’s so much LESS pasta in it.
See what I mean? So you end up with a different tofu-to-pasta ratio and different mouthfeel depending on not only the amount of pasta you use, but the type, too. Also, whole-wheat and bean pastas are chewier, while traditional angel hair is soft and tender.
And if you have leftover noodles in marinara sauce, by all means, use it! A little bit of tangy marinara sauce will taste amazing with the creamy tofu.
A previous test batch made with super firm tofu instead of extra firm and whole-wheat spaghetti instead of angel hair (minus tomatoes and mushrooms).
Add a bit of Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle on top or more grated Violife Parm, and dig in!
For a balanced lunch or dinner, pair this tofu frittata with a simple green salad. The flavors of this Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing pair really well here.
I hope you LOVE this creamy and comforting Vegan Pasta Frittata as much as we do! Be sure to experiment with your favorite veggies, pastas, and cheeses, and let us know in the comments below.
You might also like:
Crustless Tofu Quiche
Hash Brown-Crusted Frittata
Savory Tofu Pancakes
Asparagus Salad With Lemon-Chia Dressing
Vegan Pasta Frittata
Ingredients
Tofu egg mixture:
- 16 ounces silken tofu, drained
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu, drained Can sub super firm tofu, such as Trader Joe's brand for a firmer, less creamy frittata.
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch Reduce or omit if using super firm tofu (the type that contains very little water).
- 2 1/4 teaspoons kala namak (Indian black salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (for color)
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder, optional
Other ingredients:
- 5 to 6 ounces dry angel hair or spaghetti (whole-grain or GF, as needed) OR use leftover pasta that's already been cooked and coated with marinara Keep in mind, angel hair will produce a greater volume of pasta than spaghetti noodles, as mentioned in post.
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or vegan butter For oil-free, omit and be sure to use a non-stick pan.
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 6 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano, or a combination, optional
- 6 ounces raw baby spinach
- generous pinch of fine sea salt
- generous pinch of black pepper
- 1 ounce Violife Just Like Parmesan (or sub homemade vegan cheese or other store-bought vegan cheese shreds) Or omit and add an extra pinch of salt. Or add twice as much cheese! It's all up to you.
Instructions
- In a blender combine both types of tofu, nutritional yeast, corn starch, kala namak, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and mustard powder. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- If starting with dry pasta, cook pasta in salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat an oven-safe, 12-inch, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil/butter, if using. Saute onion and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and dried herbs, if using, and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach, toss to incorporate, and cook until dark green and wilted, about 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add cooked pasta to the pan and stir to incorporate. If using leftover cold pasta, allow to warm in the pan for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Grate cheese directly onto veggie-pasta mixture. Pour tofu mixture into the pan, and use a silicone spatula or tongs to gently fold everything together, ensuring somewhat even distribution of veggies throughout the pan. Sprinkle with more black pepper, if desired.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center is hot.
- Allow frittata to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Slide onto a cutting board, slice, and serve. If making for meal prep, let cool completely before slicing and storing in individual containers.
Nina
March 11, 2020 at 3:36 pmWe loved this recipe! I doubled it and put in a big lasagna dish. I thought the texture and flavor was amazing.
Lori
March 12, 2020 at 7:18 amGreat idea to double it for a lasagna dish! Glad you all enjoyed it, Nina. Thanks so much for the feedback!