Healthy Tofu Bolognese Sauce Recipe (2024)

Tofu bolognese is a hearty, rich sauce that is perfect for pasta night. This vegan bolognese sauce may take some time to prepare, but the flavor is worth the effort. It’s so satisfying and yummy. Everyone will be wanting to lick the plate clean!

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Tofu bolognese sauce with pasta is one of those dishes I reach for when I’m craving comfort food. It hits all the elements!

The tofu and walnuts cook up to create a nice meaty texture that’s fully satisfying and the sauce is bursting with fresh tomato flavor. Serve it up over some pasta and it’s a classic dinner the whole family will love.

Making tofu bolognese isn’t exactly a quick meal, it does require a bit of cooking time. But it’s certainly easy enough to make ahead and reheat when you’re ready to serve it.

If you love hearty vegan pasta recipes, you might also enjoy this Spicy Cajun Pasta with Chickpeas and Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Bowl.

👉 What is Bolognese?

Bolognese sauce is a type of ragu sauce with origins in northern Italy. This classic Italian sauce is typically made with ground meat (beef or pork) and pancetta that are cooked with carrots, onion, celery, and tomatoes.

The sauce traditionally has milk and wine added as well which enhances the flavor of the sauce. The sauce tastes rich in flavor and has a thick texture.

This vegan tofu pasta recipe is inspired by the original but replaces ground meats with walnut tofu meat instead. Flavor enhancers such as soy sauce, nutritional yeast, and miso are used to add more flavor to the rich tomato sauce.

🛒 Ingredients You Need

It’s truly amazing how simple ingredients create a delicious substitute for ground meat in this slow-cooked vegan bolognese sauce. It’s hearty and delicious and worth the time it takes to cook.

Here’s an overview of some of the main ingredients you need. Check the recipe card further down the page for the full list and quantities.

• Tofu: The best option here is to use extra-firm tofu though you can use firm tofu as well. However, firm tofu will take longer to brown up and take on a more “beef-like” texture when cooking it due to its higher water content. Pressing firm tofu in advance may make this cooking process go more quickly.

• Walnuts: They work with the tofu to create the meaty texture of the tofu bolognese. I don’t recommend a substitution for this nut.

• Miso: Adding white miso to your vegan bolognese recipe gives it a bit of that umami flavor that’s missing when cooking without meat.

• Coconut milk: Canned coconut milk is the best match for full-fat milk in bolognese sauce. It will add a similar creaminess and fatty texture to the sauce.

• Red wine: Choose an inexpensive dry red wine that is also drinkable when making tofu bolognese. You can use white wine too but I prefer red wine in this recipe because it adds more depth to the sauce than white wine.

• Nutritional yeast: Gives the meaty mixture a richer umami flavor along with the soy sauce.

• Spices: These are mostly used to season the block of tofu and give it some flavor. We will be using garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, chili powder, and a bit of soy sauce.

⭐️ Find buying tofu confusing? Not sure which variety, texture, or consistency you need? Learn more about which tofu to buy when cooking recipes in this free downloadable guide to buying tofu.

🔀 Substitutions

• Miso: I highly recommend picking up some miso for cooking plant-based recipes. It’s a great ingredient to have on hand for adding layers of flavor to sauces, soups, and more. You can swap it for more soy sauce to make tofu spaghetti, but it won’t add the same intense flavor. If you make the swap, be sure to taste before adding more salt.

⭐️ If you want to explore more ways of cooking with miso, discover more recipes and tips about this ingredient in this Collection of Vegetarian Miso Recipes.

• Canned tomatoes: Substitute crushed tomatoes to make tofu bolognese and skip the blending step or you can use diced tomatoes if you prefer a chunkier texture. Just make sure you don’t choose flavored canned tomato.

• Red wine: Swap out with a dry white wine if desired though the same principle applies as with the red wine. It should be a wine you would drink, flavor matters.

• Gluten-free: If you’re looking to make this a gluten-free recipe, simply swap the soy sauce for a gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos.

• Make it Plant-based Whole30: Swap the soy sauce with coconut aminos and leave out the red wine.

📖 Want to know more about cooking tofu?? Check out my digital e-book about cooking and eating tofu! Discover tips and tricks for cooking tofu and 25 delicious recipes you can use to prepare it creating delicious meals your family will love.

🥣 How to Make Tofu Bolognese

Let’s look at the highlights of the steps that go into making this healthy bolognese sauce. The full details are further down the page in the recipe card.

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft.

2. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes and chopped parsley and cook for one minute.
3. Add the wine to the pan and continue cooking until the alcohol evaporates. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent the vegetables from burning.

4. Open the canned tomatoes and process them in a food processor or blender until smooth. If you prefer it a bit chunkier you can pulse instead.
5. Add the tomatoes and miso to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 1½ hours. Be sure to check it while it cooks and give it a stir.

6. Crumble the tofu into small pieces and place them in a large skillet. Add the soy sauce, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and yeast to the crumbled tofu, and mix together well.

   Cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. The tofu crumbles should begin to dry up and resemble cooked ground meat.

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   Stir in the walnuts and mix to combine. Then remove from the heat and set aside until it’s time to add the tofu crumbles to the vegan bolognese sauce.

7. Add the cooked tofu and walnut crumbles to the pot of sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

8. Add the milk and cook until the tofu bolognese sauce is heated through.
9. Serve it up over pasta with garlic bread and a fresh salad.

🧺 How to Store

This dish freezes great and reheats easily which makes it a win-win in my book!

Leftovers: Be sure to let the sauce completely cool before covering it with a lid and freezing it. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Reheat: Place it in a pot over medium heat and cook until hot. If the sauce is a bit thick, add some water or broth in small increments to thin it out.

How to Make Ahead for Meal Prep

This tofu pasta recipe is perfect to make ahead of time and store for meals in the future. Here are some techniques and time savers you can use.

1. Cook the tomato sauce portion of the recipe on your meal prep day and then finish the recipe when you’re ready to eat it. The sauce really needs time to cook so all the flavors really meld together.
2. For a more hands-off approach to cooking the tofu crumbles, you can cook them in the oven instead of on top of the stove. Check out how to make tofu crumbles for instructions for making them in the oven.

⭐️ If you are looking for more tips on getting started with plant-based meal prep, check out this Guide to Healthy Vegetarian Meal Prep.

How to Serve

You can serve up vegan bolognese sauce in just about any way you’d serve up any pasta sauce.

• The classic way to serve is as a spaghetti bolognese. But you can use your favorite pasta or even gluten-free pasta.
• Swap the pasta for whole grains. A couple of great options include Instant pot farro or some cooked wheat berries.
• Add a healthy salad such as this hearts of palm salad, Mediterranean roasted vegetables, or air fryer broccoli and cauliflower as an easy side dish.
• Top it with your favorite vegan cheese! I’m a huge fan of this vegan parmesan cheese by No Sweat Vegan.

💭 Expert Tips

• Don’t cut the cooking time short. The flavors in this tofu bolognese sauce really develop with this time. Once you get it cooking, it won’t need your full attention the entire time just an occasional stir.

• Set a timer for 15 minutes during the cooking time as a reminder to stir. I use this all the time because that way I can go about working on something else without forgetting to stir.

• Be careful substituting or eliminating flavor-adding ingredients such as miso, nutritional yeast, and coconut milk when making a vegan bolognese. The miso and nutritional yeast are a worthwhile investment if you cook predominantly meatless.

• Don’t over chop the walnuts. You want them coarsely chopped, not ground so they add enough texture to the sauce. I recommend chopping with a knife to prevent them from becoming too fine, but if you prefer to use a food processor or electric chopper, just pulse them a couple of times.

More Vegan Pasta Recipes to Enjoy

If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below? You can also drop a review in the comment section I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @cookeatlivelove in your photos on social media so I can see your creations.

📖 Recipe