In my pre-vegetarian, pre-FODMAP days, I was particularly partial to a good mince bolognese. So much so that I was always willing to be the person to painstakingly crush the mince into little pieces. I couldn’t allow someone else to cook/ruin my beloved mince, the only form of meat I would eat. These days, however, crushing mince is a thing of the past. Because, my friends, this FODMAP friendly bolognese is vegan, and it’s made with tofu.

FODMAP friendly vegan bolognese

This bolognese is gluten free, vegetarian and vegan, nut free and grain free without pasta. It is made using tofu which can be torn into chunks or frozen and defrosted for an extra meat like texture. Both ways work really well to create a vegan bolognese without gluten or meat.

Before you say ‘don’t tell me tofu is a decent replacement for mince’ – allow me to explain your newest tofu trick. Freezing tofu. Freezing tofu dramatically alters the texture of the tofu when you allow it to drain. No longer is it a solid block, but more of a textural, crumbly form of protein. Somewhat like, I dunno, mince.

This FODMAP friendly bolognese is very easy to make. A simple, easy, gluten free, FODMAP friendly and vegan weeknight dinner. It is made without onion or garlic and uses gluten free pasta to complete the package.

FODMAP friendly vegan bolognese recipe notes

Firstly, you need to ensure that the tofu you are freezing is firm tofu. No silken (which is not FODMAP friendly) and no semi firm. The firmest you can find. I haven’t frozen the former varieties, but I can’t imagine it would transform their texture in the same way firm tofu is transformed.

I love using frozen tofu for the meaty, chewy and springy texture. However, you can also use non-frozen tofu if you are in a rush. As above, ensure it’s firm. Squeeze most of the liquid out and tear into small, mince meat sized pieces before use.

Fennel was originally used in place of the onion, to replace the texture that onion generally provides, and to provide flavour. Fennel is considered FODMAP friendly in 1/2 cup (or 48g) servings. Because only one fennel bulb was used, this is totally acceptable. However, I’ve subbed carrot in for a more accessible alternative.

In terms of most other ingredients, it’s smooth sailing. None of them should be a bother, although make sure you use gluten free Tamari and gluten free pasta, if you need to.

Monash updated the advice on tomatoes recently. 100g of tinned plain tomatoes is a FODMAP friendly serve. To make this bolognese fit those parameters, it needs to serve 8. This means bulking it out with extra vegetables and using it alongside pasta. If you prefer, you could use 1 – 1 1/2 tins of tomatoes and add a little water. You might need to add an extra tablespoon of tomato paste to give the sauce extra richness. 

Alternatively, use my low FODMAP Nomato sauce recipe to replace one or both cans of tinned tomato.

You can add extra vegetables to this bolognese to bulk it out and make it go further. I would recommend zucchini, pumpkin, extra tomatoes and maybe a bit of spinach if you don’t mind the green flecks.

How to freeze tofu for a meat like texture

I’ve discussed a little bit about making crispy tofu before. My research for writing that article was catalyst to me discovering the method of freezing tofu. Freezing tofu, the internet tells us, rids it of excess moisture and changes it’s structure, so it basically becomes meat like. It is textural, chewy, and perfect for mince. In addition, it is better able to absorb flavours, because of it’s lower water content. A win win.

A lot of websites will tell you to unpack the tofu, blot it, slice and it and then freeze it. Which is obviously an efficient way to do things. However, I find shredding tofu a lot easier when I can simply pull apart a block with my hands, so I freeze mine whole.

I have tested a number of different methods of defrosting the tofu. Firstly, I let it sit in a sieve. Secondly, I put in a saucepan over a low heat, and tipped the moisture out in regular-ish intervals. Thirdly, I boiled it in super salty water, which is supposed to help flavour it and make it crispy. I also refroze some torn up tofu because I ran out of time, so there’s another option.

All of the above worked, but I don’t think I would boil it in salty water again. It seemed to defeat the purpose of freezing it to expel moisture. As for the superior texture, I think I preferred the double freeze, but it’s a lot of faff for the sake of chewy tofu mince.

Frozen tofu: a quick timeline

1. The night before: put the tofu in the freezer. It can be whole or sliced, and it can be drained or not drained.
2. The next morning: remove the tofu from the freezer and allow to thaw. You can leave it in a sieve over the sink or put it in the fridge. If you put it in the fridge, you can cook it over a low heat to expel the remaining moisture when you’re ready to use it.
3. To cook, simply use as you would regular mince. You can be even more relaxed with it, because tofu can be eaten raw.

Is it necessary to freeze the tofu?

Absolutely not! While it does help create a chewy meat like texture, it is not necessary if you don’t have time. What is necessary, however, is using a firm tofu for this recipe. Not only is firm tofu more FODMAP friendly, it’s firmness is critical to our vegan bolognese being undetectably vegan.

I have also discovered a new method for improving the texture of tofu recently. That is: boiling it. I find boiling the whole block of tofu creates a really nice bouncy and spring texture.

Is tofu low FODMAP?

According to Monash, firm tofu is FODMAP friendly in 170g serves per person. That means that 500g of tofu only needs to serve three people. There are other factors at play in this vegan bolognese (such as the tinned tomatoes) but tofu is definitely a FODMAP friendly vegan protein source.

How to add extra flavour to a FODMAP friendly vegan bolognese

I have recently revamped this recipe to make it a little more streamlined. As a result, I’ve been playing around with some flavour boosters for the vegan bolognese, and there are some doozies. I learnt a lot about creating a faux meat flavour within the confines of the FODMAP diet when I made my vegan sausages recently, and I wanted to elevate this recipe with that knowledge.

Dried sage powder. Honestly, I’d say this is my number 1 suggestion for creating a meaty depth of flavour. It might be that it’s just a flavour we associate with meat, but dried sage powder has a deeply savoury flavour that goes such a long way in creating an authentic tasting bolognese.

Truffle oil. Just a teaspoon or so of truffle oil adds a really funky meaty taste to this bolognese. 10/10 would recommend.

Sundried tomatoes. These are an easy umami booster that really just blend into the bolognese once it’s cooked. I always find I have an almost empty jar lurking at the back of my freezer, so it’s a conveniently tasty way to clear out the fridge.

Porcini powder. A little more niche, but this is a quick and easy way to inject some umami into your vegan bolognese. Porcini have a FODMAP limit, but it doesn’t take much of the powder to make a difference.

How many people does this bolognese serve?

If you’re eating the mince alone, with no pasta or other options, it will serve around 4 people. This depends on how hungry people are, too.

If you’re eating the mince with pasta, I would say it could serve around 6-8. Again, this depends on appetites, but also on how much mince your guests like on their pasta.

Sometimes I like to serve this bolognese atop a big bowl of roasted vegetables. For this purpose, it’s more about saucing up the vegetables than it is totally smothering them. You could get around 8 serves of the bolognese this way.

Monash updated the advice on tomatoes recently. 100g of tinned plain tomatoes is a FODMAP friendly serve. To make this bolognese fit those parameters, it needs to serve 8. This means bulking it out with extra vegetables and using it alongside pasta. If you prefer, you could use 1 – 1 1/2 tins of tomatoes and add a little water. You might need to add an extra tablespoon of tomato paste to give the sauce extra richness.

If you like, you can use my low FODMAP Nomato sauce to lower the FODMAP content. It is tomato free and a lower histamine way to enjoy low FODMAP vegan bolognese.

More FODMAP friendly vegan recipes

• Low FODMAP minestrone (omit the parmesan on top)
• Pad Thai (omit the optional egg)
• Vegan and gluten free lasagne
• Moroccan style vegetable tagine
• Vegetable curry
• Low FODMAP vegan mozzarella