Delicious & Comforting Tofu Bolognese

this tofu bolognese is easy to make and so delicious. it is easy to make and a food processor does a lot of the work. it is so simple to make and will be a favorite for any pasta lover!

This tofu bolognese is made in a similar fashion to typical bolognese but it is a bit lightened up with the use of tofu. I love this dish because while it is comforting it doesn’t leave you feeling overly stuffed. It is a great way to get in lots of good veggies, protein, and carbs! Pair it with a salad and some bread for a yummy dinner.

the ingredients

• Super Firm Tofu: the star of the show! When this is ground up and crumbled it creates a nice meaty texture within the bolognese. I prefer to use super firm tofu as it is higher in protein but you can always use extra firm tofu for this.
• Carrot: a typical ingredient in Bolognese this will add sweetness to the dish.
• Celery: Italians love to add celery into their pasta sauces it adds some savory flavor in the background.
• Onion: similar to the carrot this adds some sweetness.
• Garlic: this of course adds flavor and savoriness.
• Passata (Tomato Puree): this will add body to our sauce as well as a tomato flavor. Passata is a thick tomato puree that is already smooth. I like it because it takes a lot of the work out of dealing with the tomatoes. However, you can always use whatever tomatoes you like.
• Olive Oil: I like to use light olive oil to sauté the veggies in.
• Non-Dairy Milk: most Bolognese will either use milk or heavy cream to add slight creaminess to the sauce.
• Balsamic Vinegar: most recipes for Bolognese use red wine however, I do not normally keep red wine on hand so I have found a great replacement for that is balsamic vinegar! It adds the acidity and background flavors that are similar.
• Soy Sauce (Optional): this is an optional ingredient that of course would not be typical however, the soy sauce adds nice umami and saltiness.
• Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base (Optional): this again will add extra umami and flavor.

the veggies

In Italy there are so many veggies used in pasta sauces but you wouldn’t know it because they are either blended in or cut so small you barely notice them. For my Bolognese I like to add all the veggies into the food processor and finely finely chop them so that way they almost melt down! They add subtle flavors in the background without being overbearing. It is a great way to sneak in some veggies without people noticing.

tofu crumbles

For this recipe I first pulse the veggie and then remove them from the food processor. Then, I like to crumble the tofu separately in the food processor. I like to do this for a few reasons. One, I do not want to blend the veggies and tofu together which would result in them being a homogenous mixture. The veggies will be sautéed first and then we add in the tofu so we do want them separate. The second reason is because I also do not want to the tofu to be as small as the veggies. We do want the tofu crumbles to be a big larger. If you would like to crumble the tofu with your hands you can but I find it to be messy and since I already have the food processor out might as well use it twice!

pasta choice

While there is technically no wrong pasta shape there are ones that are more traditionally used than others. I think a flat, long, thick piece of pasta works best for this like fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle. You can also use rigatoni for this. If you want to make fresh homemade pasta (which would make it even better) I have a delicious recipe for homemade tagliatelle with a gluten free option! So, while it does come down to preference just think about realistically what pasta shape will hold a thicker heavier sauce better. Also, there is technically no thing as spaghetti Bolognese in Bologna (the location where the sauce is from).

tomatoes and tofu bolognese

So, let’s have a little chat about how tomatoey a Bolognese should be. When you search on Google for Bolognese recipes you will see some that are coming up very red and heavy on the tomatoes. You really do not need that much tomato in a Bolognese. If you actually look at the recipe that has been written down as the official recipe in Bologna, it only uses 200g of strained tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of tomato paste. I did forgo the tomato paste to just give us one less ingredient. Bolognese should not be overtly tomato tasting as it is not a marinara.

why is the tofu bolognese a lighter color?

The answer for this may be a surprising one but it is because we are using tofu! Tofu itself is naturally white and the point of this recipe was to make a semi-traditional Bolognese while still showcasing the versatility of tofu and keeping this dish a bit lighter! For example, if I really wanted to make a more authentic vegan Bolognese I would definitely be using some sort of vegan ground beef, maybe some vegan bacon in place on pancetta, much more oil, and vegan butter. Also, this recipe doesn’t need to cook for as long as traditional Bolognese which is an added bonus in my book! There is a reason we save certain dishes for Sundays.

tofu bolognese faq

• Is this recipe soy free? No, it uses tofu as a main ingredient. However, you can always use a non soy based tofu like fava bean tofu or pumpkin seed tofu.
• Is this recipe nut free? Yes, as long as you don’t use a nut based milk.
• Is this recipe gluten free? It can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free pasta.
• How long will the tofu bolognese last in the fridge? Up to 4 days.
• How to reheat the tofu bolognese? If you are feeling lazy just pop a bowl in the microwave. However, the best way is to add it into a big frying pan. Throw in 1 to 2 tablespoons of passata and water. Use it to rehydrate the pasta and sauce a bit. If you want to you can even add a teaspoon of oil in there.
• Can I freeze the tofu bolognese? I think it should be okay.
• If I don’t have a food processor, what should I do? You can either chop the veggies by hand as small as you can and crumble the tofu by hand or you can use a blender.

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