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 pastas 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.
If you are short on time, you can prepare and bake the tofu in advance, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready for use. I honestly don’t know how long it will keep as it never lasts long in my house!
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 anyways. 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.
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (or Tamari for gluten free)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Liquid Smoke (or Smoked Paprika)
- 1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
- 3 Cups Tomato Sauce (a 700ml jar or homemade)
- Spaghetti or Pasta of choice (use a gluten free pasta such as brown rice pasta to make the dish gluten free)
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).
- Mix all of the seasonings together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste like texture.
- Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then break off chunks and break into a crumble with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning. Do this with all of the tofu until you have a large bowl of crumbles.
- Combine the tofu with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan. Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 mins, 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.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam
Hi Sam,
Made this dish for two of my grandchildren. It was the bomb. I don’t like using Veggie Ground Round because it is made from soy protein isolate and has all sorts of other unnecessary stuff in it. Your roasted crumbles are the perfect solution.
Thank you once again for a great recipe.
Take care,
Anne
Yay! So happy it was enjoyed by all 😀
This is one of the best dishes I’ve made. Thank you very much.
Wow! Can’t get a better review than that! Thanks so much, Binieam 🙂
We’re new to eating all plant-based diet and this recipe definitely hit the spot! I sautéed some onion and garlic to bump up the flavor of the pasta sauce before adding the tofu and it really tasted like Bolognese.
I plan to make this quite a lot since I love pasta dishes and this satisfies me as a former meat eater.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much, Hannah! So happy you enjoy the recipe and welcome to your new plant-based diet! Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support. 🙂
gOOD morning…just curious when making tofu bolognese – you say tomato sauce are you referring to traditional tomato sauce or a spaghetti sauce…will be making tonight and want it to come our right.
Good morning! Any tomato sauce that you would serve on your pasta would be perfect. Enjoy!
Could you tell me what contributes to such high sodium ?
I just entered in generic tomato sauce to the nutrition tool I use, so it probably comes from that mostly.
I just made the tofu crumble !!! Wow if you are just starting to eat vegan and you still like meat this is it ! This is the best tofu I have ever made to add to any recipe .
Either spaghetti sauce , chili , shepherd pie and the list goes on. Thank you for this great recipe easy to make this is a no brainer .
Woohoo! Can’t get a much better review than that! I do have a vegan chili recipe that uses a similar crumble as well. So happy you love it, Brigitte 🙂
I will be making the chili next week , it looks so good ! We ate the bolognese last night , i deglazed mine with white wine , I kept asking my husband how do you like the sauce? He said super good ! I asked him 3 times he said why are you asking me that over and over I said there is no meat ! He said I love it , it’s always the good and flavorful recipes that vegans or vegetarians need , I am always in search of good recipes and thus one is truly a winner . If you have a recipe for making seitan let me know . Thanks Brigitte
Woohoo! So happy you loved it so much. 🙂 I have been working on my seitan recipe, but haven’t yet perfected it! Make sure you are subscribed so that you will see it when it comes out 🙂
I make this at least 3 times a month it is so good! Tonight I only had tempeh so I decided to crumble it up use the same seasonings and give it a quick fry in a pan with some walnut oil. It got nice and crunchy and was even better than the tofu which we love! Thanks so much for this go to dinner option!
Oh never tried it with tofu! Good to know. So happy it’s a fave, Nancy 🙂
Hooray! Tried with a different browser, and it did the trick. Here are your 5 stars, girl, you definitely deserve them!
Oh yay! Thank you so much 🙂
Excellent recipe! Made it tonight, and my family LOVED it (and we’re not even vegan :))
It is amazing how easy, yet tasty and satisfying this dish is. Highly recommend!
P.S. I’m trying to rate it 5 stars, but the rating system doesn’t seem to be working for me for some reason…
Hi Olga, so very happy you enjoyed the recipe so much!! Thanks for rating it 5 stars. The system is a little glitchy, sometimes. 🙂
Eerrrrmmaaagerrrd! oops sorry, I had a mouthful of tofu crumbles…
OMG they are a game changer… they are the perfect addition to my ragu.
And for anyone reading this who is wondering about texture – you could fool a meat eater! But only tell them once they’ve licked the bowl clean. HA! you just ate tofu and loved it!!
Thank you Sam. Your tofu recipe is amazing! I’ve already shared your recipe with quite a few people 😀
Ahahaha too cute. So happy you loved it so much, Letitia! It’s one of my favourite recipes too 🙂
I’m completely new to being vegan and even vegetarian. I never in my whole life thought I would be but now I am! anyway, this recipe is absolutely amazing, I havent made the sauce yet but just the tofu and oh dear, even my SO keeps picking on it! I couldnt even stop tasting it when it was only coated but not baked yet (no idea if that’s bad!? I’m only in my first ever block of tofu 😉 ) thanks so much for sharing this, it really was very tasty and I will be back to your blog for more for sure x
Welcome to being vegan, and welcome to my blog, Carina!! I too felt exactly the same way, never in a million years thought I would be vegan, and yet here I am, super duper vegan! Haha. So happy you are loving the recipe! No worries about eating the tofu raw, there isn’t anything in the vegan diet that you can’t eat raw! Some things might not be enjoyable, but nothing will make you sick. You know what that means right, cookie dough!!!!!!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I have made it twice now, and it is much better (and cheaper!) than bought ‘fake meats’. The only problem that I have is that the tofu tastes so good when it comes out of the oven that it doesn’t all make it into the sauce! The second time I made it I had to double the quantities! Truly delicious, thank you!
Hahaha! I have that same problem. I always eat all the crumbles!! So very happy you love it so much Rachell 🙂
I’m not a vegan yet, I’m working on it. And I should probably mention I don’t usually like spaghetti but this recipe was amazing. I used zucchini noodles instead of pasta and this method of cooking tofu is way better than meat.
Woohoo!! SO very happy you enjoyed it Kansas! 😀
Wow! What an incredible recipe! I’ve never had anything like it, so delicious! Made it with homemade marinara and served over garlic zucchini ‘noodles’ and it was spectacular! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! It’s a new favorite for sure 🙂
Woohoo! So happy you loved it, Mary!! 😀
This is one of my most favorite recipes EVER! I freeze my tofu and let it thaw, and it is beyond delicious in this. I rave about this recipe whenever I get the chance. I even got my mom (who SWORE she hated tofu) to try it, and guess what… she loved it! I think this is good on the first day, but even better the next. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Woohoo! So happy you love it so much and that it wooed a former tofu hater 😀 haha. You might like my recipe for the Best Vegan Chili Ever which uses the same method to prepare the tofu 🙂
I’ve been making this for the last couple of months! I love, love it and now make sure there are left overs for lunch the next day!
I don’t know how you achieve that Amanda, mine is always all gone no matter how much I make! Hahaha. So happy you love it 🙂
Wow ! Made this tonight with my beautiful vegan gf….we all loved it Texture was amazing, and a perfect analog of mince. This is sure to be a regular goto in our house. Thanks for an amazing recipe. I stumbled across this at 3am when I couldn’t sleep.
So happy everyone loved it, Grant! Sorry you couldn’t sleep, but I guess your stomach was wooing you to the internet. Haha
Made this for the first time tonight and it was amazing! Definitely one of my new go to recipes. The tofu was so good on it’s own it was a challenge not to eat it all before making the rest. I’m recommending this to everyone I know and keen to try more of your recipes
Awww yay! So happy you enjoyed it Christy! I know what you mean, I think about 1/4 of the tofu never makes it to my sauce! haha
Thanks for sharing!!! I’ve been making this sauce about once a week since I found it 6 month ago. It’s so good. I’ve even frozen the sauce in a single serve container on top of the pasta and it’s thawed and reheated perfectly.
Haha love it!! Thrilled you are enjoying it so much Melissa 🙂
Hi,
your recipe sounds really yumm!
I was wondering if you could replace the crumbled tofu with TVP. I have a bag but the times I have used it, the taste is pretty bland. Any ideas?
Cheers!
Hi Maria,
I haven’t done much cooking with TVP, but since it comes dry, and then needs to be rehydrated, it’s kind of the opposite of this recipe where the tofu is wet, and I am drying it out. So I don’t think it would work in this recipe. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Hi Maria. You would need to hydrate the TVP first. (Your package may have directions for this) and then add the hydrated TVP to the paste. I think this method could work for you. This is how I make vegan bacon bits. (Hydrate, flavour then redry the TVP)
Hi Sam! I’ve been enjoying your blog very much since i found it!!
I have a daught, how many grams does a block of tofu has?
Thank you! 🙂
So glad you are enjoying it! A block of extra firm tofu has 350 grams. 🙂
Awesome recipe! Loved every bit of it…please link me to more
Yay! So happy you loved it. You can see all my recipes here, and don’t forget to subscribe so you will be notified of the new recipes. 🙂
Is the nutritional yeast one of the spices you mentioned that I need to add to make the sauce for the tofu?
Yes, mix together the soy sauce, olive oil, nutritional yeast, chili powder, and liquid smoke to make the sauce for the tofu. 🙂
I got this message just after I returned from the grocery store so I made it without the nutritional yeast and it was still delicious! What does it change/add to the dish?
Nutritional yeast will add cheesy nutty flavour and it will also thicken the sauce to better stick to the tofu. 🙂
I’ve been interested in going vegetarian for a long time now – went vegetarian temporarily for Lent last year and surprisingly enough really enjoyed being on a vegetarian diet. Went back to eating meat afterwards but lately eating meat has made me feel queasy so I’ve been toying with the idea of going permanently vegetarian.
This recipe looks amazing. All I need is tofu and garlic powder and I’ll have everything to make tofu bolognese. Just a quick question for you: is the sauce spicy? I’m no good with spice and heat at all, and was wondering whether the chilli powder will make the sauce too much. I also have bell peppers and mushrooms and cucumber in the fridge and was wondering I can add vegetables to the sauce?
Hi Amy! Welcome, and congrats on your possible move towards vegetarianism 🙂 I know when I went vegan I felt SO much better, and I didn’t even know I felt bad before!
The bolognese isn’t spicy at all as long as you don’t use a spicy tomato sauce. Absolutely, feel free to sauté the mushrooms and stir them into the sauce. Personally I don’t think cucumber would be very good in the sauce, but you could slice them up and have them as a little snack or side dish. Let me know if you have any more questions or need any support 🙂
Hi Sam. Thank you! I’m also trying to go gluten-free as well as I’m quite sensitive to gluten, so it’s been a huge transition. So far I’m pesco-vegetarian as I’m not cutting out fish and other seafood just yet.
And thanks for responding! I’m just waiting to get nutritional yeast and tofu, and then I can try out the recipe! I’ll try adding mushrooms then but won’t add cucumber as per your suggestion. Are there any other vegetables that might go well with the sauce?
No problem at all. One of my befriends was gluten intolerant and after about 6 months vegan she can actually now eat gluten again! I don’t know if that is something that commonly happens, but I am guessing that her stomach was able to heal. Mushrooms would be great, zucchini and spinach would also be yummy. Enjoy!
This is such an easy recipe and I had so much fun crumbling the tofu and adding the spice paste. The seasonings combo is quite marvelous too! My vegetarian daughter (who is an outstanding cook) is visiting and I had to come up with something to please her sophisticated palate. I just popped a batch of tofu into the oven. Will report back with outcome:) If it tastes anywhere near as delish as it smells, I’m sure it’ll be a gigantic hit.
Oh yay!! I hope you and your daughter loved the recipe 😀
Yes! Everyone wanted 2nds!! I will be making it again.
Awesome!
Hello, amazing meal! Has anyone frozen leftovers?
Thanks! New fav!
Leftovers!? What is this word you speak of?? Haha. I can’t say that I have, but my guess is it should work well…
HA! So I am a vegetarian married to a super picky chicken-killing’ (but otherwise pacifist) husband. Yes, he nicknamed me ‘Vegetable’ (pronouncing the ‘bl’ in a very flattering manner). After many, many tries, this got him fooled we were eating meat tonight! HA! Victory for the cook at last!!
H: ‘…is there meat in this?’
me: (chewing) ‘Hmmm’
H: ‘So that’s the crispy bits?’
me: ‘I used a recipe tonight, that made me out it in the oven first before adding to the sauce. Makes it kinda different, huh?’
(…both munching)
H: ‘This is a really special recipe. I like it.’
me: ‘Hmmm.’ (carefully concealed inward jump) ‘So I can make this again, huh?’
H: ‘Yeah, it’s good.’ (^ ^)
HOORAY! Thank you Sam. This is my first time on your website, but you nailed it. I’ll be back for more.
Hahaha! I love that story!!! So very happy your husband got fooled, and liked it. Thanks for sharing your story, looking forward to seeing you around Chris 🙂
OH MY GOD IT’S SO GOOD
It’s been just a month that I turned vegetarian and this is one of the best dishes I’ve ever cooked
Awww yay! I am so excited Marica!!! Best comment of the day for sure. Congrats on your new vegetarianism, let me know if you have any questions or need any support 🙂
I’m SO happy you put the nutrition fact, on top of being vegan, I keep track of my protein, fat,s and carbs for sports and it can be hard to find vegan recipes with that information haha Thank you! <3
You’re very welcome Rachel! I am so happy you find it helpful 🙂
I made this a few weeks ago and loved it! Have you ever tried freezing the tofu after baking it? I just wonder how it would do reheating in sauce after being frozen.
So happy you loved it Stacey! Hmmm… I haven’t. My guess is that it would freeze ok though, maybe it would be a little softer that when freshly baked. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Just made this, mine came out a little watery but the flavour was amazing. Been looking for a decent tofu bolognaise recipe and think I found it.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it. I am assuming the water came from the tomato sauce you used (and not the dried tofu), so to help make it not watery, you can either cook down the tomato sauce more, or try a different recipe or brand. Hope that helps. So happy you loved the recipe!
Hi! I just made this for dinner and it was awesome! I’m a recent vegetarian (since August) trying also to become vegan and this was really yummy. I tried making tofu bolognese before and it a little bland. I have a happy tummy now 🙂 love love your blog! Best wishes
Hi Andreia!
Welcome, and congrats on your new veg adventure. So happy you loved the recipe! Please let me know if you have any questions or need any support, that’s what I am here for 🙂
thank you for your kindness. I’m still trying to figure this vegan/vegetarian thing out and where I live (Lisboa, Portugal) nobody seems to know what nutritional yeast is and think I’m crazy and keep telling me there is only beer yeast or bread yeast 🙁 so I’m trying to get some online I’m really curious about the taste as I really miss cheese. I’m learning a lot from your blog and reading new recipes to try 🙂
You’re welcome Andreia!
Oh I love nutritional yeast!! That’s unfortunate that it isn’t more available for you, but hopefully ordering it online will work! So happy my blog is helping you. Please let me know if you have any more questions or need any support 🙂
I’m from lisbon too
WOW!! This is an awesome way to make little ground meat like crumble things!!!! Next time I would halve the recipe for one jar of pasta sauce, as I like my noodles swimming in sauce. This is perfect for tacos and lasagna too!! Thanks so much for your beautiful, fun blog!!!
Awww you’re welcome! So happy you love my recipe Andrea!
Just want to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog, recipes, everything. You have such a unique, inventive, and colorful perspective on being vegan! I’m super excited to make this recipe for dinner tonight…I’m thinking an arrabiata sauce, zucchini noodles (i’m in love with my spiralizer) and garlic roasted broccoli to go with the tofu!
Awwwww shucks!! Thank you Rachael! <3 It's comments like that, that made me fall in love with blogging! You totally put some pep in my step for the day 🙂
Love the addition of garlic roasted broccoli. Um, yum!!
You did it again Sam. I am no longer surprised! Just totally in love with you and your blog! 🙂 Being Vegetarian for about 15 years, and mostly vegan for about 3 years, I really don’t have any need or desire to add a “meat-like” substitute to pasta sauce. However, the tofu here is just absolutely complimentary and no substitute for anything. Hubby and 2 year old daughter LOVED it and gobbled up every morsel. And the tofu was amazing right out of the oven… I made the tofu at about 2pm for dinner at 5:30pm. The big problem was to NOT snack on the baked tofu morsels between baking it and dinner. My hubs and I agree the baked tofu here would be a great base for tacos too. Hmmm… might just have to try that. 🙂 Thanks for providing inspiration for another great dinner.
(PS – I too LOVE parchment paper… can’t believe it took me more than half my adult life to discover this wonderful invention. Baking is just so much more enjoyable on so many levels.)
Hahaha, yay!!! Your comment makes me feel like a million bucks! So happy you love the tofu in this recipe as much as I do, I also have a difficult time not eating all of the little crumbles! haha. I think you’re right about the tacos. I might have to turn it into a taco recipe soon. Thanks again for putting some pep in my step today! 😀
Outstanding recipe. I had to double the seasoning for a 14 oz. block of tofu, 25 oz. sauce, and 12 oz. org. wheat/flax seed spaghetti. I also added about 1/4 cup pasta water. Glad there are lefovers. 🙂
Yay!! So happy you loved the recipe Shellie. Leftovers are even better sometimes! Haha. 😀
And the leftovers are delicious cold as well. 🙂
Oh my, that looks so delicious! I think I’m inspired for what is for dinner tonight. But really, I totally agree on pasta being the best bc it’s so easy. Plus, carbs ❤️ Can’t wait to read more of your recipes!
Aww thanks Alyssa! I know I totally heart carbs, they are the ultimate comfort food!!
The pictures for this looked so amazing, I had to run out and get a block of organic extra firm tofu right away! It was just under $2, so it didn’t make our meal that much more expensive either. I have homemade vegan parmesan already made and in the fridge, and I’ll make my homemade pasta sauce to fold the tofu “meat” into tomorrow. The tofu is baking right now. It smells great!
Yay!! Yes, I love how affordable tofu is, and there are so many amazing things you can do with it. I hope you enjoy the pasta Candice 😀
I would like to make this in a low-salt version. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Katy
Hi Kathy,
I would buy or make a tomato sauce that is salt free, and use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos for the tofu.
Hope that helps!
This sounds great. Can’t wait to try it. Just one question….how much pasta did you use. Seems I have an assortment of 8, 12 and 16 oz. packages. 🙂
Thank you! I was just feeding myself, so I only made a small batch for me, and saved the leftover sauce for the next dinner… ok I admit it, I ate it for breakfast.. The rule of thumb is around 2 ounces per person, but I always do a bit more than that, because I love a big bowl of pasta! Hope that helps!
So 12 oz. to 16 oz. for the entire sauce recipe? I’m feeding a big eater. 🙂
Yes, I think 12oz will do just fine. Enjoy!
Thanks so much, Sam. Can’t wait. 🙂
You had me at tofu and pasta! Two of my most favorite things! YUMMO! Making.
Two of my most favourite things too! Sometimes I think we are almost twins Kathy! 😀