Spaghetti and Meatless Balls with Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

Pasta

1/2 packet spaghetti
1 pot water
2 tsp sea salt or regular salt
2 tsp Olive Oil

Marinara Sauce

3 Tomatoes
1/4 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Parsley
2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to Taste
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tblsp butter
2 tblsp Tomato paste/sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Note: If you are hard pressed for time you can get any store bought pasta sauce

Meatless Balls:

2 cups Bread crumbs
3 Cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup crumbled tofu
2 tsp Parsley
2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Crushed black pepper
1/4 cup boiled peas and carrots
Salt to Taste

Oil for frying

Note: If you are in hurry, you can get meatless balls from Trader Joes and it tastes as good.

Method

Pasta

- Boil pot of water till its rolling
- Add salt and mix well
- Add Pasta and cook till Al Dente (2min less than suggested on packet)
- When Pasta is cooked, decant and save some pasta water for sauce
- Toss pasta with olive oil so it doesn't stick together

Note: Pasta water has starch that makes the sauce rich.

Marinara Sauce

- Heat Butter and add chopped onions, garlic
- When onions are translucent, add chopped tomatoes
- Cook for 3-4min
- Add the pasta water and add the tomato paste/sauce
- Add the herbs
- Add red chilli powder, crushed black pepper and salt to taste
- Let it simmer on low for 10min
- Add more water as needed to make sauce consistency
- Add Parmesan Cheese

Meatless Balls

- Mash boiled peas and carrots with a spoon or masher
- Mix the above ingredients well
- Make balls of lemon size.
- Heat Oil and fry the balls until they are golden brown

Note: Breadcrumbs act as binder. Add more if you have trouble making balls. As a healthy alternative, you can bake the balls in oven at 350 Deg F for 30min

- Add the balls to sauce

Serve Pasta on a plate and pour the sauce with meatless balls

Note: You can also make meatless ball sandwiches. Toast hot dog buns. Lay 2 slices of mozzarella cheese. Add 2 Meatless balls with sauce.