This is a vegan side dish of broccoli in a light, refreshing soy milk tomato cream sauce. Add some spaghetti to transform it into a simple vegan tomato cream pasta.
About This Recipe
This recipe was born in the spring, when I had a big harvest of broccoli from my garden. I'd already tried a few different recipes, like Shio Koji Broccoli Aglio e Olio and a Japanese-style broccoli salad with a soy sauce-based dressing, so I wanted to try something different—something creamy yet light and full of umami. There was some canned tomato in the fridge, so I decided to make a tomato cream sauce to toss with the tender-crisp broccoli.
The tomato cream sauce is seasoned with homemade shio koji, a Japanese fermented rice seasoning with mild saltiness, umami, and subtle sweetness. It is based on the same shio koji sauce I use for my Broccoli Aglio e Olio recipe, so if you've already made that one, the ingredients will look pretty familiar. I just add a few extra seasonings here to layer in more umami and balance out the overall flavor.
Beyond Broccoli
What I like about this recipe is that I can turn it from a side dish into a main dish just by adding some spaghetti. Simply reduce the amount of broccoli by about half and toss the sauce with cooked spaghetti instead, or double the sauce to coat a full serving of pasta.
Recently (when the rainy season was almost over), I tried using different seasonal summer vegetables instead of broccoli. I used cabbage, zucchini, and fresh tomato in place of canned tomatoes—sautéed the garlic in olive oil, added everything to the pot together, then covered it and cooked with a little water until everything was tender.
This simple stew became my favorite while I was recovering from some drastic temperature changes; it was something that warmed me from the inside. There was extra sauce left, so I added a big scoop of steamed rice and enjoyed it like a quick risotto.
Next time, I want to try it with gnocchi instead. I imagine it would be just as delicious as the broccoli version.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Vegetables
- Broccoli: I like to boil the broccoli just briefly so it stays tender-crisp instead of turning mushy—about 1 minute for thin stems, or 1 minute 30 seconds for thicker ones. Adjust to your own taste.
- Shimeji mushrooms: These are optional, but I try to add them whenever I have some on hand—they bring out more flavor than you'd expect from such a small addition.
Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce
- Shio koji: Shio koji is what gives this sauce its flavor and natural sweetness. I like using my homemade batch. It takes a bit of time to ferment, but the process is mostly hands-off, and it works out cheaper than the store-bought kind. It's incredibly versatile too—I use it not just in stir-fries, but in soups and even desserts. For more ways to use it, see this list of recipes using shio koji.
- Plain soy milk: I use plain, unsweetened soy milk rather than the sweetened kind—it makes it easier for me to control the overall flavor.
- Canned tomatoes: I go for the unsalted kind. Cooking them down thoroughly mellows out their acidity. If you'd rather keep a bit of brightness and tartness, cook them down just briefly, or use fresh tomatoes instead.
- Minced garlic: I tend to use a fairly mild variety. Some types, like Chinese garlic, are much stronger, so adjust the amount based on what you've got.
- Chili peppers: A little goes a long way—remove the seeds and use just a small amount. It's entirely optional, so leave it out if you'd rather.
- Sugar: Just a small amount, enough to round out the flavor.
- Miso: Rice koji miso adds some depth here. I'd go for a sweeter one if you can. Avoid using miso that already contains dashi, or types like aka-miso (red miso) or hatcho-miso, which are much saltier than rice koji miso. If your rice koji miso is on the saltier side, use a little less and add extra sugar to balance the flavor.
- Olive oil: Infused with garlic, this becomes the base of the whole sauce.
For exact amounts, please check the printable recipe card👇
Instructions
Making a cream sauce might sound tricky, but the process here is actually pretty simple.
- Preparation:
- Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces.
- Remove the seeds from the chili and cut it into pieces.
- Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
*At the same time, start boiling water for the broccoli in a separate pot.
- Make the sauce ❶ (Sauté):
- Heat olive oil, garlic, and chili in a frying pan.
- Sauté the garlic until golden brown, taking care not to let it burn.
- Once browned, add the shimeji mushrooms, shio koji, and canned tomatoes.
- Cook together, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down.
- Make the sauce ❷ (Simmer):
- Once the tomatoes have cooked down thoroughly, add the remaining seasonings (miso and sugar) and mix well.
- Add the soy milk and stir again.
- Heat gently until just below boiling—if it boils too hard, the soy milk tends to separate—then turn off the heat.
- Boil the broccoli:
- Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli.
- Boil thin stems for about 1 minute, and thicker stems for about 1 minute 30 seconds.
*If using broccoli stalks, add them to the pot first and boil for 30 seconds to a minute before adding the florets. Continue boiling until the texture is right, adjusting the time based on how thick the stalks are.
- Toss:
- Once the broccoli is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a colander.
- Reheat the sauce until warm but not boiling, then add the broccoli and stir briefly to combine.
- Finishing touches:
- Taste and adjust with a little extra shio koji or sugar if needed, then serve.
FAQ
Stir a little rice flour into the soy milk, then cook until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring while it heats to prevent lumps.
Recipes with Canned Tomatoes
Recipes with Broccoli
More ideas for using up broccoli:
Recipes with Shio Koji
From side dishes to desserts—shio koji works everywhere:
Recipe Card
Broccoli with Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce
Equipment
- cooking chopsticks
- wooden spatula
- pot
- colander
- frying pan
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 120 g broccoli
- 20 g shimeji mushrooms
Vegan tomato cream sauce
- 7 tablespoon plain soy milk (105ml)
- 100 g canned tomatoes
- 4 g garlic
- ½ chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon shio koji
- ½ teaspoon kome (rice) miso
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- olive oil (as needed)
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the garlic cloves into small pieces.4 g garlic
- Remove the seeds from the chili and cut it into pieces.½ chili pepper
- Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.120 g broccoli
Sauce Making
- Heat olive oil, garlic, and chili in a frying pan. Sauté the garlic until golden brown, taking care not to let it burn.olive oil
- Once the garlic is browned, add the shimeji mushrooms, shio koji, and canned tomatoes. Cook together, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down.
- Add the remaining seasonings (miso and sugar) and mix well.½ tsp kome (rice) miso½ tsp sugar
- Add the soy milk and mix again. Heat gently until just below boiling—if it boils too hard, the soy milk tends to separate—then turn off the heat.7 tbsp plain soy milk
Boil Broccoli
- Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli. Boil thin stems for about 1 minute, and thicker stems for about 1 minute 30 seconds.
- Once the broccoli is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a colander.
Toss
- Reheat the soy milk tomato cream sauce until warm but not boiling.
- Add the cooked broccoli and stir briefly to combine.
- Taste and adjust with a little extra shio koji or sugar if needed, then serve.
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How did this Broccoli with Tomato Cream Sauce turn out for you?
If you like cream sauces, you might also enjoy my Vegan Creamy Maitake Mushroom Pasta. That one's made with homemade onion koji and maitake mushrooms, which give the soy milk cream a really rich flavor.
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