Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Heat the oven to 400°F and make sure there’s a rack in the middle. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with the cooking oil.
Purée the tofu and nutritional yeast with a pinch salt in a blender, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender jar once or twice. Taste and add more yeast or salt if you like. Scrape the tofu mixture into a small bowl with a soft spatula.
When the water boils, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has softened a little but is still too hard to eat, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the pasta, but don’t shake off the extra water. (It will help make the pasta tender in the oven.) Return the pasta to the pot and stir in about half of the tomato sauce. The pasta should be coated but not drowning; stir in more sauce a big spoonful at a time until you get there. (Save any leftover sauce to reheat and pass at the table.) Taste and add more salt and pepper if it needs them. Spread the pasta on the prepared pan.
Drop big spoonfuls of the tofu mixture here and there on top of the pasta. Drag a butter knife through the dollops in several places to create a marbled effect. (Less is more with this technique, trust me.) Bake until hot, bubbling, and a little browned around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.
While the pasta bakes, combine the crumbs with the nuts, if you’re using them. Stir in 1 tablespoon finishing oil. The mixture should have some shine; if not, add a little more. You may or may not want to salt the topping.
When you take the pasta out of the oven, sprinkle the topping and herbs over the surface and let the pan sit for a couple minutes before serving.