Directions
A vegan ragù bolognese sauce is a step that comes naturally for every food lover. You start with a healthy curiosity about vegan food and then you are sucked into a tofu coated vortex.
As you know by now our site has been always proudly carnivore, with lots of meat and classic Italian recipes, but that does not change the fact that vegan cuisine is really exciting.
So we gladly accept the challenge of making the perfect vegan bolognese ragù: my grandma would turn in her grave if she knew it…
That said, what’s special about a vegan sauce?
It is made with tofu and seitan instead of the usual, old, dear, chopped pork and beef combo.
But above all, you can eat this vegan dish every day, because fat and calories are reduced to a minimum, while the protein intake is not bad at all.
Of course, the taste of this fake ragù is less intense, velvety and enveloping, but as Mick said: “You can’t always get what you want!”
Ingredients for making the vegan bolognese ragù
- 400 grams of tofu
- 200 grams of seitan
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 yellow onions
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 350 ml of tomato sauce, only da good stuff, bro
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bay leaf for flavoring (optional)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- a sprinkling of parsley, optional
How to make a perfect vegan bolognese sauce with tofu and seitan
We’re going to reveal immediately what is the secret for making a great fake ragù: spices. It is useless to beat around the bush: tofu and seitan are less tasty than meat, so you have to balance them with a touch of flavor.
After some testing we chose cumin, but you should try and find the spices you like most, even cloves and cardamom are delicious but imply a certain openness of mind and palate.
Another note: it seems trivial, but this vegan ragù doesn’t require biblical hours and hours of cooking, there is no fat to melt…
Ok, let’s start with the recipe now.
Let’s choose a thick-bottomed pan with high sides.
Chop onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and let simmer in extra virgin olive oil for 10 minutes over low heat. Eventually, add some water.
Then chop seitan & tofu with a knife, very finely, some blend them mercilessly, but if you want to make a good job, don’t do it. We don’t want a puree, but a kind of minced stuff, like a battuta al coltello.
Toss tofu and seitan in the pan, season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of white wine, just a little, 1/4 of glass.
Wait until the wine has evaporated, then stir with a wooden spoon, add the tomato puree, 1 tablespoon of concentrate, cumin and simmer for 30 minutes.
If it becomes too dry, add some vegetable broth.
Cook pasta al dente, drain, finish cooking in the tofu and seitan ragù and then serve your delicious pasta.
If you want, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Once you try you can easily come back to the meat, but it’s nice to know that the vegan ragù is not bad at all!
What wine goes best with pasta with tofu and seitan ragù?
Let’s uncork a spicy, velvety Pinot Noir from South Tyrol, like the one from Brunnenhof winery.
If you want to pair a drink, bring in the Dry Martini.