Penne with tofu, porcini mushroom and swiss chard

By GuidingVegan

Ingredients

• 1 cup veggie broth
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• box of sliced mushrooms
• white wine
• 2 large bunches Swiss chard, center stems removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup plus some extra love of vegan mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (8 ounces)
• Tofu, cubed
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Mascarpone Cheese :

7 oz raw cashew nuts, pre-soaked – or if using a high speed blender just rinse before processing
1 tsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
½ cup cold water

THICKENER INGREDIENTS

1½ tsp agar powder mix well with ½ cup boiling water

Pasta:

Boil the broth and mushrooms over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and allow the mushrooms to soften in the liquid, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and coarsely chop.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and reserve about 1 cup pasta water.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saute pan. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Pour in wine (as much as you like) Add the chard in batches and cook until wilted, about 7 minutes. More salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the mushroom mixture, chicken and reserved pasta water if necessary. Toss until all the ingredients are coated and serve.