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!

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

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!

Ingredients for Vegan Bolognese Sauce with Tofu

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

• 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.

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!

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

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

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