My smoked tofu ragu is packed with protein & a super quick dish for busy weeknight meals to satiate after a long day.
This recipe is quick, easy and fantastic to make when you don't fancy using a super processed meat substitute for a vegan ragu. I opted to use smoked tofu as it adds a delicious depth that I can only describe as "ham-like". Tofu is a great source of plant based protein, ranging from 8-14g of complete protein per serving.
This is a great dish for using up any leftover veggies in the fridge, we've had this with grated carrot, courgettes, leeks, spring greens and mushrooms. If you want to be super savvy in saving time, you can make a big batch of the sauce and freeze them in containers. This means all you have to do is pull out a container of sauce to defrost, sauté the smoked tofu, add the pasta sauce and fresh herbs. Easy Peasy!
We like our pasta sauce to have a chilli kick, if you're not a fan of the heat reduce the amount of chillies or take them out all together.
Ingredients
1 pack extra firm smoked tofu, crumbled (I used Aldi 180g)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, diced
1-2 fresh chillies, de-seeded and diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
Optional garnish: fresh parsley/basil, sprinkle of chilli flakes, vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
Method
While waiting for water to boil, crumble tofu: remove from packaging and drain liquid. Wrap in paper towel, then gently press out excess water. Over a large bowl, crumble the tofu in your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs or mince.
Heat olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for about 5 min.
Then, add in cherry tomatoes, chillies and minced garlic (or any other veggies if using). Sauté for about 3-5 mins.
Add in crumbled tofu, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for another 5 mins.
Then, add in tomato sauce, tomato puree and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Stir well and allow to simmer for 5 mins.
I like to serve this with fusilli or rigatoni pasta. I add my cooked pasta shapes to the sauce and stir to combine before removing from heat.
Serve pasta topped with your additional garnish of choice. I like adding vegan cheese, chilli flakes, fresh cracked black pepper and the remaining fresh parsley to the finished dish.
This has become a firm favourite in our weekly rotation as it's so versatile. Let me know if you gave this dish a try, what did you think of the smoked tofu? Do you get the ham taste? What pasta shapes do you use?
Blessed be,