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A plated dish of zucchini noddles topped with marinara sauce and roasted eggplant slices topped with tofu ricotta and pistachio spinach pesto.
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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Tofu Ricotta

Delicious healthy Italian-inspired vegan zucchini noodles topped with fresh marinara sauce and roasted eggplant with homemade tofu ricotta and pistachio spinach pesto.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: zucchini noodles, roasted eggplant, pistachio spinach pesto, marinara sauce, vegan zoodles
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Kaity Farrell

Ingredients

Roasted Eggplant

  • 3 small eggplant or 1 large
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Tofu Ricotta

  • 1 1/2 cups extra firm tofu
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk such as soy milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 loosely packed cup parsley leaves parsley leaves
  • 1 scallion

Pistachio Spinach Pesto

  • 4 cups packed baby spinach
  • ½ cup packed Italian parsley leaves
  • 2 scallions
  • ¼ cup shelled raw pistachios
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Marinara Sauce

  • 2 lbs fresh tomatoes plum or campari
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • kosher sea salt to taste

Zucchini Noodles

  • 2-3 medium zucchini

Instructions

Prepare Roasted Eggplant:

  • Preheat oven to 450˚F.
  • Wash eggplant and cut off stems. Slice eggplant into 1/2" thick rounds. Arrange slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with half of the olive oil and season with half of the salt and herbs. Flip rounds over and repeat with remaining oil and herbs.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes, flipping eggplant rounds halfway through until they are a deep golden brown and are tender all the way through.

Prepare Tofu Ricotta:

  • Meanwhile, puree all of the tofu ricotta ingredients except for the parsley and scallions in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Then pulse in parsley and scallion until they are chopped into little pieces and are evenly incorporated.
  • Transfer to a bowl and set aside until ready for assembly.

Prepare Pistachio Spinach Pesto:

  • Place all of the pesto ingredients except olive oil into a food processor and pulse about 10 times to break down the ingredients.
  • Then with the processor running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside until ready for assembly.

Prepare Marinara Sauce:

  • Wash and remove stems from tomatoes. If large, quarter tomatoes. Purée the tomatoes with water in a blender.
  • Mince onion and garlic. Finely grate the carrot on a coarse Microplane grater.
  • Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and then onion, carrot, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano all at once and sauté until the onion starts to brown.
  • Add the tomato purée and bring the sauce to a boil then lower it to a simmer and let it cook uncovered for about 15-20 minutes until it reduces.
  • Cover the sauce and set it aside until ready for plating.

Prepare Zucchini Noodles:

  • Wash and trim the ends of the zucchini. Use a spiralizer or mandolin set to 1/8" julienne setting to cut zucchini into noodles.
  • Set the zoodles aside until ready for plating.

Assemble the Dish:

  • Arrange the zucchini noodles on the plate and top them with marinara sauce.
  • Spread a spoonful of tofu ricotta on each eggplant round and top with a spoonful of pesto.
  • Arrange eggplant stacks over the noodles and serve.

Notes