Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese

This is one of my first ever vegan recipes. I have tried countless times to perfect this recipe and here it is! 

Baked tofu adds the texture of true bolognese meat sauce, as well as adding some protein to the mix. The carrots, celery, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, etc. offer an array of nutritional benefits such as cancer prevention, dietary fibre, relief from high cholesterol, among others. This pasta takes about 30 minutes to prepare and then it's on your table, ready to eat. It's perfect for a weeknight meal, and if you make extra it keeps quite nicely and goes amazingly for lunch the next day on spaghetti squash.

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*serves 4

Ingredients:

450 grams spaghetti (I used gluten free)

Tofu:

350 grams extra firm tofu (1 package)

2 tsp garlic salt

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp soy sauce

Sauce:

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 yellow onion

2 medium carrots

2 celery stalks

6 garlic cloves

1 large beefsteak tomato (or 2 romas)

8 large cremini mushrooms

6 sundried tomatoes in oil

1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp garlic salt

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp ground mustard

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp Oil from sundried tomatoes

1/3 cup cashew milk

2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Crumble the tofu in a small bowl and add the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, garlic salt and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread tofu mixture evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, or until it has turned a darker brown colour.

Chop the onion, carrot and celery into fine pieces and heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a medium sized pot. Add the chopped veggies to the pot and stir occasionally. While these veggies are cooking, mince the garlic,  dice the tomato, chop the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes into fine pieces and add to the pot. Add the second tbsp of olive oil and the Italian seasoning, 2 tsp garlic salt, onion powder, chili flakes, ground mustard, pepper and salt to the pot and stir.

Next, add the tomato paste and stir until the veggies are coated, then add the crushed tomatoes, oil from sundried tomatoes, baked tofu, cashew milk, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Stir until combined, put a lid on the pot and let stew for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is stewing, cook your pasta to al dente. Remove the bay leaf and serve topped with chopped parsley. Enjoy!