Veganuary Day 7 - Tofu Bolognese
Hi there!
Today, we’re saying goodbye to our Xmas holiday as the kids go back to school tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting back to our normal schedule and routines, but we had an amazing time with friends and family ⭐. I went back to my workouts today, and I’m sure tomorrow is going to hurt..
Back to Veganuary, I’m sharing my delicious Tofu Bolognese for day 6. I love bolognese sauce and have different versions of this Italian recipe on the blog, but this tofu bolognese is very simple and comes out absolutely delicious, so maybe it can be a recipe you try, love, and keep on rotation!
You won't need to buy uncommon or expensive ingredients to cook this meal. All you need are simple ingredients such as vegetables like carrots, celery, onion and garlic, tomato passata, a block of firm tofu, and spices to season the tofu.
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Ingredients
Block of Tofu. For our Tofu bolognese, we use extra-firm tofu. You can as well, use firm tofu. To be able to crumble the tofu it needs to be extra firm or firm, so silken tofu won't work for this recipe.
Tofu marinade. To flavor our tofu, we add soy sauce, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. If you need to substitute yeast, we have some vegan alternatives for nutritional yeast that can help you.
Fresh vegetables. For the marinara sauce, we use white onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. You can use red or yellow onion as well, and if you prefer, you can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. These ingredients are commonly used to make the classic Italian sauce, you can add other veggies, but these are enough to make a rich tomato sauce that tastes delicious.
Passata or Canned tomatoes. You can use chopped or peeled canned tomatoes. Get a good quality of canned tomatoes, as they tend to be richer and sweeter. If the tomatoes are too acidic, you can add some sugar or another sweetener.
Tomato paste. We like adding some tomato puree to add umami flavor and richness.
Oregano. We add dried oregano to the sauce, but you can add dried or fresh basil, sage, or thyme.
How to flavor and cook the tofu
Remove any excess water from the tofu block. You can do that by wrapping it with a paper towel. Crumble the tofu using your hands and add all the seasoning ingredients: Soy sauce, nutritional yeast or yeast flakes, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. You can combine all the ingredients using a spatula until all the tofu crumbs are well coated.
Add some olive oil to a non-stick pan and sautée the tofu until it starts to golden. We like setting the stove top to medium-high temperature to ensure that the tofu cooks nicely and gets a little crunch. You can alternatively cook the tofu using the air-fryer or the oven.
Air-fryer: Set the temperature to 200C and place the tofu crumbles on the air fryer tray. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Oven: Set the oven temperature to 180C (350F). Place the tofu on a baking tray or baking sheet covered, drizzle some olive oil, and bake for about 35 minutes. Use parchment paper to prevent the tofu from sticking to the tray.
Prepare the Vegan Rich Tomato Sauce
Add some olive oil to a medium or large pot. We like using our cast iron pot for sauces and stews. Add finely chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Sautée for a couple of minutes. To make sure you are cutting all the ingredients to the same size, you can use a mandoline.
When the onion starts to soften, add the tomato paste and pan-seared tofu crumbles. Combine well.
Pour the tomato passata or add the chopped tomatoes. Stir to make sure that all the ingredients are well combined.
Cover with a lid, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the tofu bolognese sauce with the pasta of your choice.
Serving Suggestions
Tofu Bolognese is a hearty meal that doesn't need much to make for a complete and satisfying meal, but we have some favorite additions when it comes to serving this dish!
Garlic bread. The last time we served Tofu Bolognese, we completely forgot about the bread and about halfway through lunch, my husband headed to the kitchen to toast some garlic bread made with vegan butter from our freezer. It just makes this meal complete. You need something to mop up those last drops of sauce.
Vegan Parmesan. Did you know you can make your own vegan parmesan in less than 2 minutes? We love this recipe from Minimalist Baker. All you need to do is blend some cashews, yeast flakes, and garlic powder together, to create this beautiful blend that tastes just like parm!
Kalamata Olives. Serve some black Kalamata olives on the side, we love it and we believe you should try it too!
Fresh herbs. Don't forget to add some fresh herbs before serving the dish. Our favorite are fresh basil or fresh parsley.
If you enjoy spicy food, consider adding some chili oil or red pepper flakes.
Additionally, you can add a refreshing salad to balance out the flavors and textures. A simple salad with colorful vegetables will make an excellent companion to Tofu Bolognese.
As for pasta, you have a variety of options to choose from. Penne, tagliatelle, and spaghetti are all great choices but feel free to get creative with your favorite types of noodles.
Download the whole recipe for quantities and instructions. Also, you can find more information about this recipe on the blog.
Enjoy this recipe 💚
Love,
Laura.