Spaghetti & Tofu " Meatballs "

Submitted by Kozmic Blues

"I was quite surprised how wonderful these turned out! Obviously, I would never try to fool anyone that these were actual MEAT, but I think this is a wonderful meatless substitution to the old Italian favorite. These "meat" balls are great served over spaghetti in your favorite tomato sauce. And taste even better leftover the next day."

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photo by gbrit

Ready In:: 45mins
Ingredients:: 16
Yields:: 36 balls

ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried basil
³⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano
2 large eggs
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
³⁄₄ cup walnuts, ground
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 lbs firm tofu, pressed

directions

Saute the onion, carrot, pepper, garlic and dried herbs in oil until tender, for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then add bread crumbs, walnuts, parsley, mustard, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Crumble the pressed tofu with your hands, and add it to the bowl, along with the sauteed vegetables.
Mix well.
Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on an oiled baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until crisp and brown on the outside.
Add cooked "meat" balls to your favorite tomato sauce and serve over your favorite pasta.

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Reviews

Absolutely Amazing! I wish I could give this ten stars! Even our eight, four and three year old kids gobbled these meatballs up, no fight at all! My husband thought he did not like tofu until I started preparing it in different ways recently and he took one bite and said , "Wow, these are good"!!! I drained, pressed and then squeezed extra firm tofu and had no issues with the mixture. I think they formed better than traditional meatballs. YUM! Thank you for such a great recipe!!!

Chef Shmoe
I was unsuccessful with this. I think that I did not press the tofu enough as the final product was too wet to form into anything. I ended up adding cornbread mix and they turned into drop biscuits. Quite tasty, too. I also blended everything except the bread in my vitamix, which might have caused the sogginess to be more of a problem.

sarahubasics
Awesome!!!! This is the first tofu recipe that was not just edible for me, it actually tasted great! I used Easy, Speedy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe #56260 and after the "meatballs" were done I let it simmer for 30 minutes. The only thing I changed was to reduce the sesame oil by 1/3 to reduce the fat. Thanks for a great recipe Kozmic Blues!!!

Silvano
These were great. I used honey mustard and reduced the basil to 1 tsp. The sesame oil adds a wonderful dimension to these in my opinion and would not leave it out. We had these with spaghetti sauce. The next day the kids (who did not like them initially) loved them with a mushroom sauce. We even made these into wraps with tzatziki , chopped tomatoes, feta and lettuce. They are very versatile meatballs. Thanks for the recipe.

Cilantro in Canada
mmm, i skipped the sesame oil and these were still yummy. I had to cook them a bit longer than 30 minutes to obtain the kind of crispiness and dryness I like (I don't think mushy moist tofu would be good in a meatball). Next time I'm going to freeze the tofu first. Oh yes, there will be a next time - thanks!

spacekadet

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Kozmic Blues

Providence, Rhode Island

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