Yes, Tofu Bolognese is a thing. It's a very delicious thing that you should make immediately.
I grew up in a household where whenever we didn't know what else to make for dinner, or we were feeling lazy, or tired, or hungry, or it was Monday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or even Friday, we would make pasta. Sure, we had other meals some nights, but who needs them when you could just have pasta? Probably the worlds most perfect food in my opinion. I'm pretty sure I could eat pasta every day and I would still love it.
Thinking back, I always loved pasta sauces with meat in them. My dad always preferred pasta without any meat in them... my how the times have changed... So whenever we went to restaurants, I would hunt the menu for something along the lines of a meaty, tomato-y, spicy pasta and order, then devour said pasta dish.
Just because I went vegan, doesn't mean that I don't love that satisfying hearty bowl of goodness. Except now it's even better because no one had to die, it's cholesterol free, lower in fat, higher in fiber, and the best part, it's so freaking lick the bowl scrumptious. Ohmygoodness, I just had Tofu Bolognese for dinner last night and these pictures make me want it all over again. (Am I allowed to drool over my own pictures)?
I learned this trick of crumbling the tofu and drying it in the oven from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian L. Patton. If you don't have this cookbook, you should pick up a copy. Unfortunately, it lacks in pictures which makes me sad (I ♥ pictures), but the recipes are pure comfort food goodness. If you are cooking for a carnivore type person, this is the book that might help them change their minds. I find the recipes can be a little complicated and require a lot of spices, but when I'm in the mood I bring the sexy vegan to the kitchen with me, and he never disappoints. Yeah, I went there.
To make Tofu Bolognese: Start by grabbing a large bowl, whisk together the seasonings to make this kinda paste like stuff.
Drain the block of tofu, no need to press it first, it will dry out in the oven anyway. Break off chunks of tofu and use your fingers to crumble the tofu into small pieces. It's easiest to do this with two hands, but I had to take a photo of the process and I didn't have three hands at that particular moment. #FoodPhotographerProblems
Once you have crumbled all the tofu it will look something like this. Tah dah! (I know, so impressive).
Combine the tofu with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (I ♥ parchment paper), or lightly grease the baking sheet. Spread the tofu evenly across the sheet in a thin layer.
Bake the tofu for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping every now and then to give it a stir. Keep a close eye on the tofu as nears the end of baking time so that it doesn't burn. The tofu will have shrunken quite a bit in size, and browned up nicely. The smaller pieces will be darker and some may even be a bit crispy. The larger pieces will be lighter and softer. I like this because it adds nice variation in texture. Store or use right away.
When you are ready to enjoy your dish, heat your tomato sauce in a pan. I like a spicy tomato sauce, but you can go with whatever kind you're into.
Stir in the tofu crumbles and heat through. The tofu will suck up some of the sauce, so if it gets a bit thick, just add water to thin as needed. If you find that there are some crispy bits in the sauce and you aren't into that kind of thing, simmer for longer to soften. Serve over pasta with a bit of Parmegan and devour.
Tofu Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)
- 3 cups tomato sauce (700ml jar or homemade)
- 1 pound spaghetti or pasta of choice, (gluten-free if preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste-like texture.
- Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning. Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated. Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.
- In the meantime heat the tomato sauce, and cook pasta according to package directions. Stir the tofu into the sauce, and heat through. If you find the sauce is too thick, stir in a bit of water until desired consistency is reached. Serve over hot pasta with a sprinkle of Parmegan.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Adam says
Thanks for this, it's inspired me to try (with my homemade tofu - it's so easy to make and costs a fraction of store-bought tofu).
Just one little comment, though: if the pasta sauce comes out to thick, I wouldn't add water to it! Save some pasta water from draining the pasta and use this, it's worlds better than using just plain water.
ValB says
My husband made me this from your well laid out recipe and we both agreed it was really very tasty. I'd been craving that proper Italian depth of flavour and texture and nothing I'd done had hit the mark... until your Tofu Bolognese that is! My husband is the meat eater in our family and he also loved it. Thank you so much. This will become a regular favourite in our house. Can't wait to impress the rest of my meat eating family on this one! So happy 🙂
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
That's fantastic! We're so happy to hear you both enjoyed it.
Niki says
I have made this recipe several times exactly as written and it is always delicious. I love your recipes!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Super! Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
First time I’ve ever cooked with tofu…holy cow! It’s a game changer! All 3 of us carnivores LOVED it! I didn’t really follow your recipe for the sauce because I have my own sauce recipe that I love full of fresh herbs and veggies….I just followed this to get a healthy meat substitute. I didn’t have any nutritional yeast so I used soy sauce as a substitute. We will make this again.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful! So glad you all loved it!
Wendy says
Very disappointing. One person said she added mushrooms & olives & that may have been the saving grace. You win some & you lose some! Sorry, Sam. I made your lentil shepherd's pie & it was very good.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're sorry to hear you didn't enjoy, Wendy. This is one of the most popular recipes so let us know if we can help you troubleshoot.
Jill says
This was delicious! Quick & easy! My grandson & his friend loved it too! It's definitely a keeper!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We love to hear it!
Emily says
Adding this recipe to my regular rotation! The first time I made it I used two 8 oz boxes of chickpea pasta and it was dry for my preference. This second time I made it with one 8.8 oz box of chickpea pasta (barilla) and it was PERFECT for my sauce preference. The flavor is great and I get my protein in!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your experience!
KS says
Oh no, my review was meant to be 5 stars *****
Delicious! My meat eating husband actually gets excited when I tell him I’m making this for dinner.
One of our favourite vegan recipes!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful!
KS says
So delicious! My new go to recipe. My meat eating husband absolutely loves it and actually gets excited when I tell him I’m making it haha
Maggie says
I made this and was amazed at tis recipe, I used smoked paprika because I didn't have liquid smoke, I served mine with corguettei.
Poonkie says
Hello, this looks so good. Looking forward to making it. One question, does it freeze?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it does! It freezes very well 🙂
Jane says
I was a little skeptical but wow, this is really good. The best comfort food. I use paprika but planning to try with half and half. This is so good I have eaten it on its own. Amazing.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you love it Jane!
Diane K says
Holy moly is this ever good! I didn't realize how much I was missing pasta with a hearty sauce since going vegan until I tried this. I subbed the chili powder with smoked paprika since I don't do well with spices. Also used a jarred sauce since I had some here. I will never eat my pasta without this "meaty" deliciousness again!
Sam Turnbull says
Right!? Haha. SO happy you loved it Diane!!
Peggy Does Cake says
Hey Sam, thank you for all you do! For this recipe, when you say 3 cups tomato sauce, do you mean 'spaghetti' sauce? Or actual 'tomato' sauce? I can only find tomato sauce in cans, and you mentioned a 700 ml "jar" - which makes me think you mean spaghetti sauce. Plus spaghetti sauce is so much tastier than bland tomato sauce. Can you clarify? I appreciate you!
Sam Turnbull says
prepared tomato sauce, so spaghetti sauce would be perfect. Enjoy!
DT says
Incredible flavor! I’ve made this twice now with extra-firm and firm tofu and both have worked well; the firm tofu did take the full 45 minutes. The only substitution I made was 1/2 tsp praprika + 1/2 onion powder for the liquid smoke. I checked the tofu about 4x and stirred the edges into the middle since they browned first. Rao’s marinara sauce is great with this! Thank you for making this amazing recipe - it’s going to be a regular rotation around here.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!!
Julie says
This is the BEST plant based pasta sauce I've had since going plant based 12 years ago!
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!!!
Barbara says
WOW!!!!!! This was soooo delicious!!! Thanks you so much Sam! This is a new favorite dish I will make often. Love your recipes
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it Barbara!
Kristen says
Oh my god! This was absolutely delicious! Printed the recipe and will make this OFTEN!! I would give this ten stars if I could!!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lara Joiner says
This might be my favourite of your recipes too.
It was an instant with my very fussy daughter and is on a weekly to fortnightly rotation.
I add mushrooms and olives to mine which work a treat.
Thank you Sam xx
Dana Tran says
These tofu crumbles had a great flavor and mouth feel (similar to ground beef)! I substituted the chili powder with half paprika and half onion powder because our kids won’t do spicy. These finished baking at 35 minutes and actually could have gone less because some pieces were a bit hard. Thank you for creating and posting this recipe. Fantastic substitute for ground meat - will definitely make again!