You can never go wrong with pasta — especially our vegan tofu bolognese! It’s spiced to perfection and served with our homemade sunflower seed parmesan cheese.
Not only that, but the whole dish provides about 36 grams of protein!
This recipe is ideal for meal prep or a family dinner. You can even make it an activity! Get some helping hands to cut the veggies with you; you’ll reduce the prep time and bond with your loved ones.
If you’re looking for more comfort food, our vegan chili and vegan lasagna are delicious!
Why you’ll love it
- Comforting and hearty
- Loaded with veggies
- Protein-packed
- Perfect for meal prep
- A dish the family will love
To make our vegan tofu bolognese, you’ll need a cutting board, knife, large pot, blender/food processor, measuring equipment, and a mixing spoon.
Ingredients needed
- Veggies — garlic, yellow onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery stalks, zucchini, and bell peppers.
- Tofu — our meat substitute, about 36 g protein per block!
- Canned tomatoes and tomato paste — for our rich tomato sauce.
- Soy sauce — for added umami and salt.
- Balsamic vinegar — for added depth of flavor.
- Vegetable broth — cooking liquid to help soften the veggies. For added flavor.
- Oregano, smoked paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper — essential spices for our delicious sauce!
- Sunflower seed parmesan — sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon zest, garlic powder.
- Fresh basil — for garnishing.
Find exact measurements and serving suggestions below!
How to make vegan tofu bolognese
Make the tofu bolognese
Add the onion, garlic, oil, and mushrooms with two tablespoons of vegetable broth in a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until all the liquid evaporates.
Add the crumbled tofu and soy sauce, stir, and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
Place the rest of the vegetables into the pot, add all the spices, and mix. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat to help them release their flavors.
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and balsamic vinegar. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very well cooked.
Taste test. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Put the lid on and set aside.
Make the parmesan
Place the sunflower seeds into a skillet over medium heat and lightly toast for 2-3 minutes, until slightly golden. Move them with a wooden spoon to toast evenly.
Place in a bowl and let cool completely.
Transfer into a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process to get a coarse powder. Make sure to blend or pulse in short increments! If you blend too much, you’ll get sunflower butter.
Make the pasta
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain, and divide into serving bowls.
Top with tofu bolognese sauce, garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh basil leaves, and serve warm.
Storage & reheating
Fridge
Store the pasta and sauce separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat, microwave the pasta and reheat the sauce in a pot over the stovetop.
Freezer
You can freeze the pasta in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and then microwave. Store the tofu bolognese in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Let thaw and reheat in a pot over the stove.
Serving suggestions
Our tofu vegan bolognese is delicious with our garnishes, but feel free to add what you like! You can use your favorite vegan parmesan, cheese shreds, or just nutritional yeast.
A warm slice of vegan garlic bread would also be delicious! Or even a fresh baguette to soak up the sauce.
If you want to have an appetizer, consider a refreshing salad like our roasted sweet potato arugula salad.
Also, please note that you can use any pasta that you like!
FAQs & tips
Can I substitute the tofu?
You can! It just won’t be a tofu bolognese anymore, haha. If you’d like to use a ground meat substitute like Beyond Meat or Impossible Beef, cook that separately and add to the sauce at the end.
You can also use TVP (textured vegetable protein) or lentils if you don’t want to use vegan meat or tofu. All these options have slightly different textures, so keep that in mind!
Can I omit a veggie?
Yes! Just make sure to substitute with more of another veggie. For example, if you don’t like carrots, omit them but consider adding more zucchini.
This way, the sauce can maintain the same ratio of ingredients. If you omit too many veggies, the sauce will be too liquidy!
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Can I make this dish gluten-free?
Sure, just use your favorite gluten-free pasta or zucchini noodles. The latter makes this recipe very low in carbs and calories, too!
More pasta recipes
- Easy Vegan Instant Pot Pasta
- Vegan White Sauce Pasta
- Easy Vegan Pesto Pasta
- Healthy Green Pasta Sauce
- Skinny Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Did you make our vegan tofu bolognese and like it? We’d love to read about it, so be sure to leave a review and share it in the comments below. You can also Pin this recipe here!
Ingredients
Bolognese
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 yellow onions finely diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups brown button mushrooms finely chopped (350 g)
- 1 cup firm tofu 250 g, patted dry, crumbled
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 1 zucchini finely chopped
- 2 bell peppers finely chopped
- 2 cups canned tomatoes 480 ml
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan
- 1 cup sunflower seeds 140 g
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- ½ cup nutritional yeast 30 g
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp garlic powder
To serve
- 16 oz whole wheat spaghetti dry (450 g)
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Make the tofu bolognese
- In a large pot add the onion, garlic, oil, and mushrooms with two tablespoons of vegetable broth and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until all the liquid evaporates.
- Add the crumbled tofu and soy sauce, stir and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- Place the rest of the vegetables into the pot, add all the spices, mix and cook for a few minutes over medium heat to help them release their flavors.
- Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and balsamic vinegar. Mix and bring to boil over medium heat.
- Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very well cooked. Taste test. Season with salt and pepper, mix to combine, put the lid on and set aside.
Make the parmesan
- Place the sunflower seeds into a skillet over medium heat and lightly toast for 2-3 minutes, until slightly golden. Move them with a wooden spoon to toast evenly.
- Place in a bowl and let cool completely.
- Transfer into a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process to get a coarse powder. Make sure to blend or pulse in short increments! If you blend too much, you’ll get sunflower butter.
Make the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and divide into serving bowls.
- Top with tofu bolognese sauce, garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh basil leaves, and serve warm.
Notes
- Store the pasta and sauce separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. For the freezer, store in separate containers for 3-4 months. Check out our storage notes for more details!
- If you don’t make the sunflower parmesan, add your fav vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.
Indulge in this Italian classic, made vegan! Instead of meat, our bolognese is made with veggies and tofu all simmered in a rich tomato sauce. It’s a dish the whole family will love.