INGREDIENTS
- 1 x 400g firm tofu, medium-press
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, grated or finely diced
- 1 courgette, grated or finely diced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ cup fresh basil or 2 tsps dried basil
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
- 1 tsp of tamari
- 1 tsp vegetarian Worcester sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 400g Spaghetti
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a pan for 1 minute until hot, add the onions and let them soften without burning. Add the garlic and let it cook for 30 seconds and then crumble the tofu into the pan. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat and let it settle for a couple of minutes.
Add the carrot, courgette and mushrooms, increase the heat again and cook through. When the veg is starting to reduce, pour in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, tamari, coriander, celery salt and basil and reduce the heat. Stir and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Optional Extras: You can also add 1/2 tsp of agave nectar to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes. If your audience likes spice, add chilli flakes at this stage. Other optional additions are green or black olives, capers and a dash of red wine. All work really well, add bite and ring the changes as we make this dish so often.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti as per manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, spiralize 2 large courgettes to make raw, wheat-free spaghetti. Or you can create a combination of the two to add a healthy crunch and sneak raw courgette into the meal; 1/2 the amount of cooked spaghetti and 1 spiralized courgette.
Distribute the spaghetti and/or courgette into bowls and cover with your Bolognese. We often serve this with our much-loved Garlic Bread.
Optional Garlic Bread
Finely dice or mince three cloves of garlic and mash into 1/4 cup vegan margarine. Add a glug of olive oil and mix. Add salt and pepper and a pinch of oregano and stir to fully combine into a paste. Cut a half-baked baguette in half or thick wedges of bread and spread the garlic paste generously over one half of the bread. Stick the 2 halves back together, you might want to secure with a cocktail stick, and bake in a hot oven it for 6-8 minutes.
