This is a perfect weeknight dinner that has school-safe leftovers for the next day.
Prepare the pasta however the box tells you to. If this step messes you up please don’t go any further - if you can’t boil water and cook pasta… eeep….
Preheat your oven for 350 F.
Get a skillet nice and heated up, sprinkle a little salt on the pan and then dump in the onions, garlic, and peppers and mix around till they get a bit translucent and stuff. Once that happens toss in the beans and heat them up too. Toss the spices on and get everything coated nicely and then add the tomato sauce and salsa. Mix that up till it’s nice and combined. Turn off the heat and set aside for a beat.
Take your tofu, drain it and squeeze the hell out of it and break it up with your hands into small pieces in a medium bowl till it’s all mushy and crumbly and looking like ricotta or cottage cheese. Add the nutritional yeast and mix it all up till combined.
Get a casserole dish (9 x 13 is ideal), and spread a little tomato sauce over the bottom to help everything from sticking. Pour in half the pasta followed by half the sauce mixture and spread it all out. Layer the tofu mixture on top of that and spread it out evenly. Add the rest of the pasta, spread it out and follow that with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle your cheese shreds over everything and then cover it up and pop that baby into the oven for 30 minutes!
Pull it out and let it sit for at least 5 minutes so everything can cool and settle. Top with cilantro or parsley. Scoop that onto a plate and SMASH IT INTO YOUR MOUTH!
Servings 6
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
You could swap out the black beans with veggie ground round, or lentils.
If you’ve got kids I suggest reducing the chilli powder to 1/2 tsp - otherwise UP IT! And you can also add diced jalapeños if you really like spice.
