Palaak Tortellini

This is a savory Punjabi meets Italian pasta dish with Spinach, Tofu, and Garbonzo beans. Although this dish isn't spicy hot, it can very easily be made hot by adding chilies.

This dish serves 4 - 6 people Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Allergy Alert: !D !S !G, but alternatives is provided below.

Quick substitutes: Use home-made tortellini with Vegan cheese, brown rice or favorite gluten-free, egg-free noodle instead of the tortellini I use. Cashews can substitute for Tofu. Vegan Tortellini recipe coming later. Even I can't even eat this as I originally made it. So, when I find a suitable GF Tortellini thats Onion free, I'll let you know.




2 pkgs. Spinach Tortellini (found in produce section) D! E! G!
2 large Tomatoes, diced
4 large Tomatoes, pureed
4 large Potatoes, diced
2-15 oz. cans Garbonzo Beans
1 large pkg Spinach (frozen; fresh spinach shrinks and will require more packages.)
2 pkgs. Extra Firm Tofu, drained well
Olive Oil (For frying Tofu in) I do NOT recommend Canola Oil. [See note #1]
1/4 C. Olive Oil (Brings out Tomato Flavor)

Spices: Feel free to add more or less to suit your tastes. (See note 1 about whole spices, if interested).

All Grounded:
2 TB Cumin
1 TB Coriander
2 tsp Cloves
1 TB Ginger
1 TB Nutmeg

For the Tofu:
1 tsp Tumeric
Too taste, Green, White and Black peppercorns).


Optional: Cayenne Pepper and Chilies to taste.
Soy free version: 1 Cup fresh raw Cashews or skip if need it nut free as well.

How To: This is the order I make this from Scratch. I use 4 burners to reduce the time it takes to make this. I like my sauce simmered for 30 minutes, so I use a separate pan for the tofu.

Prep Work: [If you already cut everything up and drained the tofu, then skip to step 4]
1) a) Gluten free version using Brown rice? Start the water now. Add the brown rice to the water. The rice cooks for about 45 minutes. Read the package instructions to be sure!

b) Soy free version? Skip to step 2.

c) Make sure Tofu is draining. The trick to good browned Tofu is to drain it very well! To Drain tofu: Put Folded towel on bottom of Bowl, tofu cut in half goes on top of towel, folded towel on top of tofu, heavy weight on top of last towel. If in a hurry, I just squeeze out the water with hands, but this will break the tofu. I also don't worry if the tofu doesn't brown as well.

2) Dice the Potatoes, and put in a pan of cold water, to cover.
   Dice 2 of the Tomatoes and set aside.

3) Cut the other 4 Tomatoes and put in blender. Puree.

4) In a large DRY Sauce Pan:
If using Raw cashews roast them on medium-high heat. When they are tan, reduce heat to low and add the grounded spices.

If NOT using Cashews, then on low heat, Lightly roast the spices, stirring constantly.
When you start smelling a good aroma, the spices are done. Set the spices aside.

* Note: The preferred method, is to use whole spices roasted, and letting them cool somewhat before grinding them. The quantities may need adjusting, as whole tends to have a stronger flavor. However, being that my spice grinder went missing, I gave the other method as I couldn't adjust the spices properly.

The Cooking:
5) Heat the Garbonzo Beans in the pan. Mash them when heated enough. Add the frozen spinach to the pan and just enough water so the spinach doesn't burn. Heat for 3 minutes, breaking up the clumps.

6) Add the Tomatoes (both diced and pureed). Add the 1/4 cup of Olive Oil and the spices and optional Cashews. Stir well. Heat to boil, then simmer, covered. Ideally, this will simmer for at least 30 minutes.

7) Put a large pan of water on the stove for the noodles and bring to a boil. Take another pan, and put the diced potatoes in it. Add water to cover. After that water boils, loosely cover and cook on medium heat. Lids with steam escape holes are great! The potatoes cook for about 20 minutes and the tortellini takes approximately 8 minutes for al dente, 10 minutes for well done.

8) Dice the tofu.

a) For Non-stick pans: Put Olive Oil in the sauce pan and heat it until you just see a tiny bit of smoke. Immediately add diced Tofu and the tofu spices. Mix well. Heat on "HIGH", and cover. Turn the tofu from time to time to get all sides browned.

b) For pans that are NOT non-stick: Pre-heat the pan on medium heat until a drop of water added to it, forms a mercury ball. Water won't ball up in a Cast iron pans, so you'll have to guess when its hot enough. Reduce the temperature slightly, then immediately add the oil, tofu and the tofu spices. Cover. Turn the tofu from time to time to get all sides browned.

*This method prevents the food from sticking as long as the pan is hot enough before the food is added. Also, when oil is added to the pan, it should form a nice shine across the entire bottom of the pan.

9) When the pasta water is boiling, add the Tortellini or other pasta noodles. The pasta cooks for about 8 minutes. I cook mine for 10 minutes, but I like mine, al dente mush.

Note: The more water used when boiling pasta, the less the pasta will stick.

10) Add the browned Tofu to the Tomato Sauce.

11) Once the potatoes and pasta are done, drain. Combine the potatoes and pasta. Pour the Tomato sauce over it.


Serve with your favorite bread, Salad and Soy Milk.

Notes: If interested,
(1) Alternative to Olive Oil? I highly recommend finding an oil that is LOW in EFAs. Canola oil is NOT it! Coconut oil actually might be healthier than Canola oil. See my article on Oils. (See Labels for link.)

(2) Why do I start the sauce before browning the Tofu? The longer the sauce simmers, the better it will taste. This is why I like to get the sauce cooking as soon as possible. Italians often have sauces cooking for several hours on the stove.

I'll edit this as need be, if I find any silly errors.

Copyright by Kytriya, April 14, 2010.