My 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Spaghetti

As autumn approaches, I often find myself craving spaghetti. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia of slurping the noodles all in one breath or wiping the tomato sauce splatter off my shirt. There is something appealing about keeping it simple with just noodles and sauce.

As a busy professional trying to eat more intentionally, one of the hardest things is incorporating more protein into my meals. Don’t get me wrong, I love my fats, carbs, and protein all the same, but protein tends to be more elusive, especially when it comes to classic comfort foods like spaghetti, where carbs are the primary focus.

Rather than compromising, I found the perfect solution: adding silken tofu to the tomato sauce.

Why My 1-Ingredient Upgrade Makes the Best Spaghetti

Yes, it has to be silken tofu. Maybe you can get away with soft tofu, but definitely not firm or extra-firm tofu. Silken tofu is so soft and delicate that when blended in a food processor, it has a light, airy, and creamy texture without any graininess.

Since tofu is mild in flavor, it melds with and adapts to the flavor profile of any sauce. Blended silken tofu also thickens the sauce, which helps it coat and cling to the noodles.

How To Try My 1-Ingredient Upgrade

For my upgraded spaghetti with tomato sauce, I blend one block of silken tofu, about 16 ounces, with four cups of jarred tomato sauce. Depending on the tomato sauce that I have at hand, I may add some salt to taste, but I often find canned tomato sauce to be on the salty side, which the silken tofu helps tone down.

Feel free to add more tomato sauce for a thinner sauce with a more tomato-y flavor, but I prefer the easy ratio of one block of silken tofu to one quart of tomato sauce. Once the sauce and tofu are blended smooth, I gently simmer the sauce until it is warm and just starting to bubble before tossing and twirling al dente spaghetti in it.