Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

As is, this makes about 4 servings - you can double the recipe if you are cooking for more people.

• 8 ounces of dry pasta, I like to use bowtie pasta for this recipe

• 1 8-ounce package of tempeh

• 1 cup of vegan beef broth

• 1 cup of diced yellow onion

• 1/2 cup of vegan unsweetened yogurt

• 3/4 cup of red pepper paste, or 3/4 cups of roasted red peppers (I make my own - see notes and adjustments)

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted vegan butter

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic

• 2-3 tablespoons of sweet paprika

• dash of curry powder (I used yellow curry powder)

• 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, soy sauce, or tamari

• 1 tablespoon of vegan worcester sauce (see notes and adjustments)

• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

• 2-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

• salt to taste

• parsley (for garnish)

• cherry tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Cook your pasta according to package directions. When finished, drain, put a dash of olive oil in the pan, cover, and let sit.

• Crumble the tempeh into a saute pan and cover with vegan broth or water. Simmer the tempeh and water for about 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed - this helps remove some of the naturally bitter flavor from the tempeh.

• While the tempeh is steaming, chop one cup of diced yellow onion and one clove of garlic - do not mix these, keep them separate.

• While the tempeh is steaming you can also mix up the tempeh marinade by mixing together:

  • 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, soy sauce, or tamari

  • 1 tablespoon of vegan worcester sauce (see notes and adjustments)

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • 1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

  • dash of curry powder (I used yellow curry powder)

• After about 15 minutes drain any excess water from the steamed tempeh leaving the tempeh in the saute pan

• Sprinkle the tempeh with unsweetened cocoa powder and mix it well to coat it - this will give it a meaty flavor!

• Add the already mixed tempeh marinade and stir well to coat the tempeh

• Mix 2 tablespoons tomato paste with about 1/2 cup of water, and add this mixture to the tempeh pan

• Cook the tempeh over medium low heat, stirring occasionally making sure it doesn’t stick. Simmer until most/all of the liquid is absorbed.

• While the tempeh is cooking you can mix up the garlic/yogurt and the red pepper sauce.

• For the garlic/yogurt sauce mix 1/2 cup of unsweetened vegan yogurt with 1 clove of chopped garlic. If you can, mash the garlic with a pestle because it will infuse the yogurt with more flavor. It is also ok to make this ahead of time and keep it in your refrigerator as it is a good condiment for many vegan dishes, especially Mediterranean recipes.

• For the roasted red pepper sauce place the following in a sauce pan and simmer until it is warm and the butter is melted:

  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted vegan butter

  • 3/4-1 cup of roasted red pepper paste (see notes and adjustments for how to make this!)

  • 1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil (optional)

  • dash of salt or salt to taste

• To serve, put a layer of pasta on a plate, add a generous scoop of tempeh, drizzle the garlic/yogurt sauce on top, and top with the roasted red pepper sauce. I like to garnish this with cherry tomatoes and parsley.

Notes and Adjustments:

If you can’t find vegan worcester sauce you can order it here: https://amzn.to/41rN2AU

You can generally find roasted red pepper paste at Arabic markets, but if you can’t it is very easy to make. I make mine by combining about 3-4 whole roasted red peppers with about 1/4-1/2 cup of liquid from the jar (or water). Then blend in a blender or food processor until smooth.

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