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.
(click stars to vote)
Tofu Bolognese
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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.
- In a large mixing bowl mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. It will make a brown paste-like texture. Break the tofu into a few large chunks and add them to the bowl, then us a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in nutritional yeast mix.
- Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for 35 - 40 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 nicely browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's good because it will provide a variety of texture to the chili. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- 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.
Annette says
Made it last night...thought she was being hyperbolic about it until I tasted it-delicious! Honestly, if you fed a non-vegan a pasta dish made with this bolognese and didn't tell them it was tofu, they would have thought it was meat. Spiralized some zucchini, added some leftover cooked pasta I had on hand and some Rao's marinara to the baked tofu and sprinkled with vegan Parm, so so yummy. Another winner Sam!!!
Suzanne says
Has anyone tried making the tofu without the added oil? Or is there an oil free substitution you would recommend for this?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, you can just sub vegetable broth 🙂
Kelly says
Yes! I make the best damn chili recipe and don't add the oil to the recipe- works perfectly.
Carolyna says
I loved the baked marinated tofu idea, my bf and I enjoyed it!
Jen says
Wow, just wow! I freestyled the sauce based on what ingredients I had to use up but those tofu crumbles are amazing! Will be a regular feature for sure on the menu. Thanks for the recipe
Carla Chennault says
Wow, I’m late to the party. This was delicious! And now I know about Super Firm tofu which I was thrilled to find stocked at Trader Joe’s.
Mikeh says
Love the tofu taco crumbles. That recipe did not call for yeast. How important is it to the recipe if i have none on hand?
Carla says
It’s nutritional yeast and it’s a pretty important ingredient in the tofu bolognese recipe
Mike H says
Thanks. Had to go without it and tasted great. Not a vegan so substituted parmesan cheese, which is on the sub list on google
Leana Theunissen says
This is my absolute favourite tofu recipe!!
Even my non-vegan friends like it. Thank you for exciting my pallet every time xx
Sam Turnbull says
That's amazing! So happy you love it, Leana 🙂
Genevieve DesRoches says
LOVE this recipe!!!!
Our favorite spaghetti:)
Would the sauce be freezer friendly? 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it is!! 🙂
Sue says
I am so pleased with how this turned out. Tofu awesome even thoughI had to use smoked paprika as liquid smoke doesn't seem a thing on the UK. Kids didn't know it wasn't meat result.
Kathryn Gannon says
You can buy liquid smoke on Amazon and probably Ebay.
Olivia Grace says
This was so delicious! I made it for my son and he loved it too. Thank you. All your recipes are so good and I really enjoy reading your blog.
Anh Nguyen says
I just happened to see this recipe posted on your instagram recently, so I just made this last night and added in sauteed onions and garlic and it was really good with the pasta sauce and spaghetti. Pretty simple too. It's just the time it takes baking in the oven.
Thanks!
cazzie says
thank you for an amazing recipe, I was never really sure what to do with tofu apart from add it to a stir fry.
Laura says
Delicious! Your tofu crumble recipes have changed my life! They are so easy, delicious. I've been doing the taco crumbles for a while but just tried the spaghetti bolognese tonight and it's a definite winner. The only problem with the crumbles is that I stand in the kitchen just eating them out of the pan. LOL
Rosalyn says
I was wondering if you could use soy chorizo in place of tofu? I tried the tofu it was delicious. My daughter didn’t even know it was tofu!!!
Shannon says
I eat the crumbles right off the pan also!!! LOL!
Aibreán says
As I am not a fan of tofu I find this Tofu Bolognese recipe quite pleasing to the palate. It is very easy to make and is thick and hearty.
Sneha says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I always have tofu on hand just so I can make this. My kids devour it!!! And that's no easy feat. It's just a nice, hearty pasta.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled it's a go-to!
Lena says
I was wondering; can you freeze the tofu bolognese? (So I could make it ahead of time for school)
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Abby says
This is so so so tasty. My friend brought it to a work ski trip and no one knew it was vegan! Now everyone from my work (carnivores, veggies and a vegan) follow your blog! Also she mentioned that if you're rushed for time, you can skip the pressing step if you bake a little longer.
Thank you for coming up with such an bomb recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I love that story! There is no need for pressing the tofu in this recipe at all 🙂
Paula Smith says
Another amazing winner! I swear, you can’t make a recipe I don’t love! I normally will use Beyond Meat crumbles but that is expensive and not always on hand. This will become a staple for sure!
Sioux Hertzberg says
My boyfriend recently went on a cruise for work and came back and was raving over a vegan Bolognese sauce that he had. I immediately started searching for vegan Bolognese and coincidently, like she was reading my mind, Sam emailed a tofu Bolognese sauce that very same day in her newsletter. He said it was even better than the one he had on the cruise. That was less than two weeks ago I am making it tonight for the third time ( by request). I love it so much that I dream about it. So easy to make with ingredients I already have on hand. Thank you for the amazing recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha that's awesome!!! Thrilled you both love it so much 🙂
Emily says
Love this recipe!! Even my tofu-hating sister enjoys it.
I didn’t have liquid smoke so I substituted with smoked paprika and touch more olive oil. I also make a simple homemade spaghetti sauce rather than use a store sauce (which typically have lots of added sugar!).
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome 🙂
Michela R says
Just made this last night for the first time and wow it was amazing!! I will absolutely be making this again and it was so easy too. Thanks Sam, I love all your recipes and watching your videos. I have had your cook book now for a while and I have been making my way through all the recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So happy you're enjoying my content so much 🙂
Hannah says
DELISH. SO easy to make with pretty simple ingredients that create such a fab flavour. I'm so glad I found it when planning a dinner for a friend. I've been recommending it to everyone along with your blog and insta, Sam! Keep up the great work.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Hannah 🙂
Melodie says
My husband hates tofu but he had multiple helpings of pasta all with a generous amount of this sauce. It's a miracle! Thanks for the recipe!