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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    July 17, 2015 254 Comments

    Tofu Bolognese

    27.2K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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)?

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    To make Tofu Bolognese: Start by grabbing a large bowl, whisk together the seasonings to make this kinda paste like stuff.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Once you have crumbled all the tofu it will look something like this. Tah dah! (I know, so impressive).

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Combine the tofu with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    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.

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Print Recipe
    4.98 from 157 votes

    Tofu Bolognese

    This Tofu Bolognese recipe is to die for. Quick, easy, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, hearty, and lick the bowl scrumptious. Just like traditional bolognese but better!Inspired by The Sexy Vegan Cookbook
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    ingredient tag: noodles & pasta, tofu, tomatoes
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 515kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    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)
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    Leftover sauce keeps the perfect texture so this dish can be made ahead of time and reheated as needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1230mg | Potassium: 955mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 12.9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3.8mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.



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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. KS says

      January 24, 2023 at 5:11 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Jess @ IDTLC Support says

        January 24, 2023 at 2:43 pm

        Wonderful!

        Reply
    2. KS says

      January 24, 2023 at 5:09 am

      4 stars
      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

      Reply
    3. Poonkie says

      November 27, 2022 at 6:13 am

      5 stars
      Hello, this looks so good. Looking forward to making it. One question, does it freeze?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 03, 2022 at 1:14 pm

        Yes it does! It freezes very well 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jane says

      November 18, 2022 at 1:57 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 03, 2022 at 11:21 am

        Yay! So happy you love it Jane!

        Reply
    5. Diane K says

      November 10, 2022 at 8:47 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 17, 2022 at 5:14 pm

        Right!? Haha. SO happy you loved it Diane!!

        Reply
    6. Peggy Does Cake says

      November 08, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 17, 2022 at 5:10 pm

        prepared tomato sauce, so spaghetti sauce would be perfect. Enjoy!

        Reply
    7. DT says

      August 28, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:48 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    8. Julie says

      August 23, 2022 at 3:26 pm

      This is the BEST plant based pasta sauce I've had since going plant based 12 years ago!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:39 pm

        YAY!!!

        Reply
    9. Barbara says

      August 21, 2022 at 10:16 pm

      5 stars
      WOW!!!!!! This was soooo delicious!!! Thanks you so much Sam! This is a new favorite dish I will make often. Love your recipes

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:38 pm

        So happy you love it Barbara!

        Reply
    10. Kristen says

      July 26, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my god! This was absolutely delicious! Printed the recipe and will make this OFTEN!! I would give this ten stars if I could!!
      ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

      Reply
    11. Lara Joiner says

      June 20, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
    12. Dana Tran says

      June 05, 2021 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
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