Pasta Amatriciana

Our rendition of the classic Italian dish, this slightly spicy tomato pasta and crispy tempeh pieces is a flavourful, hearty dish that comes together in under 30 minutes.

cooking time: 25 minutes

serves: 2

Ingredients

For the tempeh

300g Tempeh (cut into 1-2cm cubes, we usually use the quinoa one for this as it crisps up a bit more but it works with all of your variants)

1 Tbsp Agave syrup or maple syrup

1 Tsp garlic powder

Olive oil

For the sauce

1 White onion (peeled and diced)

Chilli flakes (to your taste preference)

1 Tin peeled plum tomatoes

Spaghetti or bucatini Pasta

To garnish

Nutritional yeast flakes

Lightly toasted bread crumbs

Method

Boil water for the pasta, adding a generous pinch of salt to the water.

To a bowl, add tempeh, agave syrup (or maple syrup), garlic powder, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of salt and mix.

Add oil to a frying pan, and cook the tempeh until it starts to crisp up and brown. Set aside.

Using the same pan used for the tempeh, add the chopped onion and the chilli flakes to fry.

Once the onion is nice and golden, lower the heat and add the tin of peeled tomatoes.

Cook for about 8-10 minutes. At the same time add pasta to the boiling water and cook as per the instructions on the packet. Squash the whole tomatoes to form a more consistent sauce. Let it simmer for a minute. Add salt to season.

Once the pasta al dente, drain and transfer the pasta to the sauce, mixing well for 1-2 minutes whilst the sauce is still on a low heat.

Remove the pan from heat and add the tempeh pieces and a generous serving of nutritional yeast and the toasted bread crumbs, mixing well. Add salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil to season.