Tofu Bolognese is a recipe I have been wanting to try, but have been a little hesitant to do so. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that I am not a huge fan of tofu. It’s a texture thing. Then, I found this method of both baking and pan-frying the tofu and it makes the most amazing vegan bolognese!

But there is way more to my bolognese than just tofu. Fresh mushrooms, shallot, garlic, carrots, celery and tomato sauce seasoned and reduced down with a splash of your favorite vegan white wine. Top it all off with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan. Yum!

The first step is to press out every bit of moisture you can from the block of extra firm tofu (either using a tofu press or paper towels). Once you get it as dry as you can, it should crumble very easily. I use paper towels to press out any remaining moisture. I then baked the tofu until it was dry. At this point, I added 1 tsp of oil to a non-stick skillet and fried the tofu crumbles until they were golden and some of the edges were crispy.

Meanwhile, in another saute pan, I added shallots, carrots and celery cooking until tender. Mushrooms are added and finally at the last minute, add the garlic, cooking for just a few minutes taking care not to burn. A splash of your favorite vegan white wine de-glazes the pan and is reduced until nearly evaporated so we get the flavor and not the alcohol.

I added a can of tomato sauce and seasoned well, letting the sauce simmer to allow all of the flavors to meld.

I like Bucatini for this recipe, but you could use virtually any pasta shape you like. P.S. This recipe also makes an amazing sauce for lasagna!

Top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and serve with a salad and garlic bread.