This rich, vibrant, hearty spaghetti sauce will elevate any pasta recipe! An easy one-pot recipe that requires minimal prep and only calls for a handful of simple ingredients.
This vegan spaghetti sauce is a staple in our household! It is simple to make, yet filling and tastes amazing. We love serving it on cooked pasta alongside light vegetable side dishes like tomato cucumber corn salad or air fryer portobello mushrooms.
Moreover, it is highly versatile and can be used in various ways! Try serving it as a dip for garlic bread and breadsticks or as a filling for stuffed peppers or lasagna.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- The ultimate comfort food that is heartwarming and cozy
- Budget-friendly and only calls for staple ingredients
- Wholesome, healthy, and a good source of plant protein
- Stores well and is freezer-friendly
🍅What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Tofu - Make sure to use extra-firm tofu that has been drained and pressed, either using a tofu press or stacking something heavy on top. I recommend checking out this post, ‘How to press tofu,’ for more detailed instructions.
- Crushed tomatoes - Can be substituted with passata.
- Sugar - Just a small amount is added to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. You can substitute it with any granulated sweetener.
- Worcestershire sauce - An optional ingredient that gives richness and a nice umami flavor to the spaghetti sauce. Make sure to get a vegan one.
🔪How to make
Using your hands, crumble tofu into small pieces to mimic minced meat.
Heat some oil in a pan. Add tofu and cook for a few minutes or until tofu is lightly browned. Set aside.
Add onion to the pan. Saute for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and tender.
Stir in garlic and fry until fragrant.
Pour tomatoes and broth with tomato paste, chili flakes, and dried herbs. Allow mixture to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.
Stir in tofu crumbles, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar, and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until ingredients are hot. Your vegan spaghetti sauce is ready to be served.
✅Helpful tips
- Allow time to simmer - The longer you simmer the sauce, the more the flavors develop. Feel free to cook it for up to an hour if you have time.
- Cook on low heat - This helps prevent the sauce from splattering. Cooking using high heat might also cause tomatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Check on it occasionally - Every 5-10 minutes or so, check on your spaghetti sauce and give it a quick stir. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce is becoming too thick.
- Make it spice-free - Omit chili flakes.
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✨Variations and add-ins
Tofu - If you are not a fan of tofu, feel free to substitute it with crumbled tempeh, rehydrated TVP, or vegan ground beef (like Impossible or Beyond Meat)
Sausages - For a higher-protein, heartier vegan spaghetti sauce, stir in some chopped vegan Italian sausage or andouille sausage towards the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
Veggies - You can load up your sauce with veggies such as zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms, or bell peppers. If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend the sauce using an immersion blender before adding in the browned tofu.
For a chunkier sauce - Instead of using a large 28oz can of chopped tomatoes, use a 14oz can each of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.
🍝How to serve
Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this vegan spaghetti sauce:
- Pasta - served sauce on cooked spaghetti or other cooked pasta of choice. You can also opt for spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles for a lower-carb option.
- As a filling for lasagna
- Meatballs - Use it as a sauce for frozen meatballs or some homemade TVP meatballs. You can also make meatball subs to make a heartier meal.
- As a dip for breadsticks, garlic bread, and baguette
- To make stuffed peppers
❄️Storing suggestion
Let vegan spaghetti sauce cool down completely before keeping.
Fridge - Store sauce in an airtight container, which can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Freezer - Portion it into individual portions using freezer containers or zip-top bags. The sauce can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Reheating - Allow frozen spaghetti sauce to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. You can heat the sauce in a microwave or on the stove. The tofu will turn chewier upon freezing and thawing but will still be delicious!
?Commonly asked questions
Marinara sauce is a simple Italian tomato sauce made by simmering tomatoes with onion, garlic, and herbs such as oregano and basil. On the other hand, spaghetti sauce is much chunkier and more substantial and typically contains ground meat and vegetables such as celery and carrots.
When it comes to taste, spaghetti sauce has a deeper, more complex flavor profile due to adding more ingredients and the long cooking time. Marinara sauce has a fresher and lighter flavor.
A small amount of sugar is added to spaghetti sauce to balance out the acidity of tomatoes and enhance the overall flavor.
If your spaghetti sauce is runny and watery, it could be because you added too much water or didn't cook it long enough. To fix watery spaghetti sauce, simply simmer it for longer, allowing the evaporation of excess water.
If your sauce is still too thin, try adding some cornstarch slurry. Combine equal parts cornstarch with water. Then, gradually add the slurry to the simmering sauce in stages or until it reaches the desired consistency.
🍽️More pasta sauces
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes or passata
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using your hands, crumble tofu into small pieces to mimic minced meat.1 block extra firm tofu
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for a few minutes or until tofu is lightly browned. Set aside.
- Heat another ½ tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and tender.1 medium yellow onion
- Stir in garlic and fry until fragrant, around 1 minute.4 cloves garlic
- Pour in canned tomatoes and broth along with tomato paste, chili flakes, and dried herbs. Allow mixture to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.28 oz can crushed tomatoes, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and tofu crumbles and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until ingredients are hot.1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Give it a taste, seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with pasta or however you like!salt and pepper
Notes
- Allow time to simmer - The longer you simmer the sauce, the more the flavors develop. Feel free to cook it for up to an hour if you have time.
- Cook on low heat - This helps prevent the sauce from splattering. Cooking using high heat might also cause tomatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Check on it occasionally - Every 5-10 minutes or so, check on your spaghetti sauce and give it a quick stir. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce is becoming too thick.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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