Tofu pasta (Tofu Bolognese)

5 from 1 vote

Tofu pasta is a delicious vegan recipe with tasty crumbled tofu and a rich tomato sauce. This is essentially a tofu bolognese that you can put together for a quick, easy, and nutritious meal in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main, pasta

Cuisine: International, Italian

Keyword: bolognese, no meat, tofu

Servings: people

Calories: 520kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

14 - 16 ounces tofu firm or extra firm
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
28 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato puree, or passata
2 tablespoons soy sauce (1 for the sauce, 1 for baked tofu)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (½ for the sauce, ½ for baked tofu)
4 twists black pepper
1 pound pasta spaghetti, linguine, rigatoni, penne, or other

USA - Metric

Instructions

Oven-Baked Tofu

Note: We bake the tofu to give it some texture and taste and to dry it up so that it gets a little chewier. If you want the pan-fried version, check out the "variations" chapter above.
Preheat oven to 390F or 200C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Crumble tofu with hands, not too fine. Add to a bowl. Season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 twists pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Mix with a spoon, then transfer to baking sheet, spread out, and bake for 15 minutes. In the meantime make the sauce.

Make the sauce

To a large non-stick pan, add the olive oil, finely chopped onion, celery, and carrot. You can use a food processor instead of chopping them by hand.
Gently fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add canned tomatoes, soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Stir and let simmer on medium to low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water as per package directions.
When the tofu is done baking, add it to the sauce. Stir in and let simmer for just one more minute. Turn the heat off, add fresh basil or chopped parsley if you like, and serve on your favorite pasta.

Nutrition