Classic, creamy vegan pasta salad with smoky tofu cubes, diced red onion, crunchy celery, and lots of peas, tossed in a simple, slightly sweet dressing. It’s great for an easy snack, light meal, or even a side dish for summer picnics and potlucks. If you’re a fan of pasta salads, you have to try this one! It’s absolutely perfect!
Growing up, our mom would make Spam salad, and we would all devour it. Another hit in our house was our dad’s fried Spam sandwiches with Velveeta. I’m not sure we knew or understood what Spam was or even thought about it much, but we loved the stuff! Nowadays, just thinking about what’s inside that little can is enough to make me want to run far away. So, in memory of my mom’s spam salad, let me introduce you to this Vegan Smoky Tofu Pasta Salad where we use marinated tofu instead of canned mystery meat, eggless mayo, peas, and crunchy veggies like red onion and celery!
What You Need for Vegan Spam Salad
- Pasta of Choice – I like tiny ring pasta but elbows, rotini, and small shells work great, also
- Smoky Tofu – Coated in a quick sauce and then baked in the oven
- Veggies – Diced red onion, celery, and frozen (or canned) peas
- Vegan Mayo – We like Vegenaise
- A little sugar for sweetness
- Seasonings like Lawry’s (or any all-purpose seasoning), celery salt, and black pepper
How To Make This Smoky Tofu Pasta Salad
This vegan pasta salad is pretty simple and easy to make!
Once your tofu is pressed to release excess water, cut it into tiny cubes. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, maple syrup, liquid smoke, tomato paste, and garlic and onion powders. Add the cubed tofu and toss to coat all pieces. Now, spread the tofu onto a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake at 325°F for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15.
While that bakes, cook the noodles al denté as you would your favorite pasta in salted water. Once perfectly tender, drain, rinse, and set aside.
In another small bowl, combine the mayo, sugar, and seasonings and stir well. Once the tofu and noodles are cool to the touch, add them to the mayo mixture along with the diced red onion, celery, and peas. Toss everything together and transfer to the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes for the flavors to combine. Taste and adjust with more mayo, salt, and pepper, if necessary, right before serving.
More Summer Recipes
Spinach Salad with Citrus Dressing and Tofu Feta
BBQ Tofu Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
There’s really no compromise when it comes to vegan cooking. It’s better for us, for the animals, and for our environment, so make this pasta salad and share it with someone you love – whether they’re vegan or not!
If you make this recipe, let me know! Please leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and be sure to tag me. And, make sure to follow MNVegHead on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Lots of love, Allison
Creamy Pasta Salad with Smoky Tofu
Ingredients
- 14-16 Ounces Pasta Rings Or, Pasta of Choice
- 1 Cup Frozen or Canned Peas
- ½ Cup Red Onion Diced
- ½ Cup Celery Diced
- 1 Cup Vegan Mayo
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tsp Each: All-Purpose Seasoning (Lawry's), Celery Salt, Black Pepper
Smoky Tofu
- 1 Block Super Firm Tofu Pressed and Cut Into Small Cubes
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce or Tamari
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
- ½ Tsp Each: Garlic and Onion Powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Cook pasta according to package, drain, rinse, and set aside
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk smoky tofu marinade ingredients together. Add cubed tofu and stir to coat
- Spread tofu out evenly on a baking pan and cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15. Remove and let cool before adding to pasta salad
- In another bowl, combine the vegan mayo, sugar, all-purpose seasoning, celery salt, and black pepper. Add pasta, red onion, celery, peas, and tofu and stir to combine. Transfer to the fridge for flavors to combine for at least 30 minutes before serving. Taste and adjust with more mayo, salt, and pepper if necessary.
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