Tofu tomato pasta sauce - this easy vegan pasta sauce is creamy and delicious but low in fat, all thanks to the addition of silken tofu.
It is also a great way of sneaking some vegetables and protein into your pasta sauce! It freezes well so whip up a big batch for quick, make-ahead meals.
This tofu tomato pasta sauce is a great healthy, easy recipe that is nice and creamy while also being low in fat, thanks to the addition of silken tofu.
It makes quite a big batch but it freezes well so is perfect for meal prep cooking. Freeze in individual portions and reheat as needed for a quick meal.
What Do I Need To Make Tofu Tomato Pasta Sauce?:
Silken tofu: I use firm silken tofu, not regular tofu, as it blends to a smooth cream. Regular tofu would probably work, but the sauce may not be as smooth and creamy.
I also like silken tofu as it is generally shelf-stable rather than refrigerated and I tend to always have a couple of packs in the cupboard. (I use Mori-Nu brand).
Tinned tomatoes: Three 400g tins. While generally for a basic tomato sauce you want to use good quality tinned tomatoes for the best flavour, we are adding quite a lot of other ingredients to this sauce so I don't think it really matters. Cheap is fine as far as I'm concerned.
Vegetables: I use a mix of onion, celery, carrot and red bell pepper.
Herbs and spices: Garlic, tomato puree, oregano, bay leaves and an optional pinch of chilli flakes add lots of flavour.
Sugar: Just a teaspoon, but it helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Olive oil: I think that a bit of olive oil is essential for a well-rounded flavoured sauce.
Balsamic vinegar: This adds a rich depth of flavour to the sauce.
Nutritional yeast: This is optional but recommended as it adds extra savoury flavour (and vitamins!).
How To Make Tofu Tomato Pasta Sauce:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Start by gently frying the vegetables in olive oil for 10-15 minutes until they are soft.
Add crushed garlic, tomato puree and bay leaves and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Add the tinned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, oregano, sugar, a pinch of chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.
Rinse the tins out with a splash of water and add it to the pan.
Bring up to a simmer and cook (uncovered) for 30 minutes, giving it a stir every now and again.
Remove the bay leaves and transfer the cooked sauce to a blender along with the silken tofu and nutritional yeast. Blend until very smooth.
If your blender isn't big enough you may need to do this in a couple of batches.
Taste and add more salt and pepper as required.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes:
- Creamy vegan mushroom pasta with truffle oil
- Sun dried tomato puy lentil pasta
- Vegan spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shells
- Vegan pasta bake
- Vegan cauliflower alfredo pasta
- Vegan pumpkin mac and cheese
- Creamy roasted red pepper tomato pasta
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Tofu Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 2 Tbsp tomato puree (paste)
- 2 bay leaves
- three 400 g (14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch chilli flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper
- approx 350 g (12 oz) firm silken tofu (I use Mori-Nu)
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast (more to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the crushed garlic, tomato puree and bay leaves and cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring often.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, oregano, sugar, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.
- Rinse the tomato tins out with a splash of water and add it to the pan.
- Bring up to a simmer and cook (uncovered) for 30 minutes, giving it a stir every now and again.
- Remove the bay leaves and transfer the cooked sauce to a blender along with the silken tofu and nutritional yeast. Blend until very smooth. If your blender isn't big enough you may need to do this in a couple of batches.
- Taste and add more salt/pepper/nutritional yeast/chilli as required.
Notes
- Leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for around 4-5 days.
- The sauce freezes well. I like to freeze it in individual portions and then reheat in a pan or the microwave as needed.
Samantha
Absolutely loved this recipe. I missed out bay leaves as I didn’t have any, but it still turned out very tasty. I used tinned cherry tomatoes also. Yum. Thanks for this fab recipe
Chantelle
This recipe is just amazing! I had silken tofu and had no idea what to do with it until this recipe. It is tasty and filling. It is now part of my go to recipes!
JK
This looks delicious! I’m wondering if you could blend the tofu and tomatoes before cooking to avoid blending hot liquids?
Hannah
Hi JK, yes that should be fine.
scarlett
The sauce ended up being a sort of offputting, salmon pink colour. Followed exactly, with the same brand of tofu... Don't recommend.