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Tofu Bolognese Recipe

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This tofu Bolognese recipe is a creamy delicious sauce, packed with protein and flavor! With aromatic garlic, basil, tomatoes, & white wine – you won’t miss the meat in this hearty pasta sauce.

A tasty take on traditional Bolognese sauce, I love making this vegan comfort food favorite. Serve with garlic bread and a family-style salad, and you have a restaurant-quality dinner ready at home loaded with plant-based protein!

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We absolutely love homemade Bolognese sauce, and adding high protein tofu is a great way to get some extra nutrition into your diet! I make a huge batch of Bolognese sauce about once a month, and love this vegan Bolognese recipe when I’m feeling like something hearty.

Traditional Bolognese sauce is made with meat, but this vegan version has a great flavor and a meaty texture while keeping it plant-based. The chunks of tofu has a similar texture to ground meat, and is a tasty dish meat eaters can still enjoy.

The sauce itself is made with slow sauteed garlic and onions, fresh basil, aromatic Italian spices, and tasty tomatoes. Toss with your favorite pasta (I love a good rigatoni!) and enjoy. This tofu pasta recipe is a fantastic dinner for the whole family.

This Vegan Tofu Bolognese Sauce Is

  • Hearty
  • Satisfying
  • Bright
  • Herby
  • Loaded with flavor
  • High protein
  • Low sodium
  • Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian

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Bolognese with Tofu Instead of Ground Beef

Tofu is a high-protein plant based alternative to ground beef. A lot of companies make “fake meat” ground beef, which admittedly are yummy, but are loaded with sodium and flavored chemicals.

I like to use tofu instead because it’s made from soy beans, and I can add any spices, seasonings, or salt myself. I love using tofu in all kinds of dishes: my tofu cream cheese for breakfast, crispy tahini tofu wraps for lunch,  and yummy Hawaiian BBQ Tofu Bowls for dinner!

One of The Best Tofu Recipes You’ll Make Again & Again

Whether you’re new to cooking tofu or are a seasoned pro, this Bolognese sauce is a fantastic tofu recipe to add to your monthly menu. Tofu is made from pressed soybeans, and is high in protein and is anti-inflammatory

I have dozens of tofu recipes here on The Herbeevore, it’s one of my favorite ingredients to cook with! I love enjoying crispy baked tofu in the oven, blending it into a flavorful sauce for vegetables, or scrambling it up for breakfast.

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Ingredients for Vegan Bolognese Sauce with Tofu

I get fresh produce from my garden and from Misfits Market– they sell fantastic fruit, vegetables, & pantry staples at a discounted price. We get Misfit boxes every other week and love picking out favorite produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first box here!

  • Tofu – I used extra-firm silken tofu for this recipe. The block of tofu is easy to crumble, is soft, and makes a great addition to this vegan pasta sauce.
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Tomato Paste for an extra rich tomato sauce loaded with flavor.
  • Onions
  • Nutritional yeast – which gives this a cheesy flavor. You can also add in vegan parmesan cheese instead.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Fresh Garlic
  • Basil
  • Italian Seasoning Blend: usually has thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, etc. I love this bright and flavorful Italian season mix which brings this amazing tofu marinara sauce to life.
  • Sea salt & Black Pepper

​What To Serve with this Vegan Bolognese Sauce

This sauce is great over spaghetti or rigatoni with a side of vegan garlic bread. You can also use this sauce in a lasagna instead of normal tomato sauce

Any recipe that calls for tomato sauce can use this awesome delish plant based Bolognese sauce instead.

Favorite Add-Ins and Variations

​For a spicy version, you can add red pepper flakes or use red onions.

Instead of silken tofu, use can use an extra firm tofu instead, or any textured tofu you prefer.

Add chili powder and oregano for a Mexican inspired sauce.

Add a spoonful or sweetener or brown sugar for a sweeter sauce.

​Top with fresh herbs, like chopped parsley or basil, if desired.

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How To Make Vegan Tofu Bolognese Sauce

  1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté over medium heat from 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
  2. Crumble the tofu: you can do this either by placing the tofu in a bowl and mashing it with a fork, or you can just use your hands! Both methods fine, just make sure to crumble the tofu into small pieces. which is the texture you want for the crumbled tofu. 
  3. Add the tofu crumbles, canned tomatoes and the juice, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, white wine, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 30 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. 
  4. Top off the sauce with fresh basil, and stir. Toss sauce with pasta of choice!
  5. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Simple Vegan Tofu Pasta Recipes 

This tofu pasta is the tastiest, freshest dinner recipe. It’s perfect for a hearty meal for the family, and also great to make for company if you are having guests for dinner.

It makes a great holiday pasta dish as well – a simple vegetarian recipe to serve with a salad. It takes only 20 minutes to cook, so you can enjoy extra time to prep sides or a salad. Browse all our pasta recipes here!

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Serve This High Protein Tofu Pasta Bolognese Sauce With

Easy Vegan Tofu Lasagna

The Best Italian TVP Meatballs

Cheese-y Eggplant Bake

Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Mozzarella and Lemon

Share This Tofu Bolognese Sauce Recipe

As always, if you make this vegan tofu Bolognese sauce be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you.  I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Let’s keep in touch – make sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter to get free recipe inspiration. 

And don’t forget to follow over on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & TikTok – I’d love to connect with you there! 

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Tofu Bolognese Recipe

Kelly Jensen
This high protein vegan tofu Bolognese pasta sauce recipe is packed with flavor without the meat!  With aromatic garlic, fresh basil, and creamy olive oil, you won't miss the meat in this hearty pasta sauce.
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12 servings
Calories 51 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 2 28 ounce cans Diced Tomatoes with juice
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 1 12 ounce package tofu I used extra-firm silken
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2/3 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat.  Add the garlic and onion, and saute on low from 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
  • Crumble the tofu: you can do this either by placing the tofu in a bowl and mashing it with a fork, or you can just use your hands! Both methods fine, just make sure to crumble the tofu down to the texture you want for your sauce.
  • Add the tofu, canned tomatoes and the juice, tomato paste, italian seasoning, garlic powder, white wine, salt, and pepper to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 30 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
  • Top off the sauce with fresh basil, and stir. Toss sauce with pasta of choice!

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 98mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

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Posted in American, Dairy Free, Dinners, Easy Weeknight Meals, Favorites, Gluten Free, High Protein, Italian, Pantry Recipes, Pastas, The Herbeevore Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes, Winter Recipes

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