Tofu Ball Spaghetti

I think you caught me here. Yes, I was fantasizing about meatball spaghetti.

I was watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for the sixth time since it was released (you can't blame me, I love seeing food) and I just couldn't help but wonder how it would feel like eating ****balls while eating pasta. I kept on thinking, wouldn't it be inconvenient to eat such food? Your spaghetti twirled on your fork, how the heck can you eat a chunk of meatball with it? Will you squish it with your fork so that you can eat it with the pasta? Hmm...

I knew I had to try it for myself. However, there is nowhere I can eat it but at home, so I had to devise my own recipe. The spaghetti sauce wouldn't be a problem, I love my signature sauces very much. But how can I make successful meatballs?

I wanted to use soy curd, but my husband doesn't like that. So I chose tofu. I've made burgers out of tofu before and it was perfect. But I put egg in it. This time I wanted to make something vegan or at least easily veganizable for my friend in Canada who just turned vegan.

So I knew I aced this recipe when my husband ate most of the tofu balls. He even asked me to put three tofu balls in his bento for the following day. Next, I just need to make him watch Cloudy even just once. Hahaha!

And it is my project to make measurements so that we can replicate this dish easily. Hohoho!

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TOFU BALL Ingredients

• tofu

• bread crumbs

• bell pepper

• fresh basil

• salt and pepper

• Italian seasoning

• cheese, cubes or sliced (optional)

Procedure

1. If your tofu is quite soft/watery, remove water by putting weight on whole tofu using plates or heavy chopping boards for at least 30 minutes before using.

2. Once the tofu achieved firmness that is good enough for frying, put it in a bowl and mash it.

3. Add chopped fresh basil, minced bell pepper, cubed/grated whatever cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. (I put cubed cheese in the middle of the ball for a cheesy burst and to avoid burning my cheese.)

4. Add bread crumbs into your mix until it becomes hard enough to form into ball, but soft enough not to break. The breadcrumbs should act as the flour in this mixture, so be careful not to add too much.

5. Fry them carefully. I used high heat to keep the inside soft and flavorful, and the outside perfectly crunchy.

6. Mix with the spaghetti sauce or munch on its own.

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SPAGHETTI SAUCE Ingredients

• eggplant, cut into chunks

• bell pepper, cut into small cubes

• basil, torn into smaller pieces

• asparagus, cut into 3mm thickness

• canned tomatoes

• Italian seasoning

• sugar

• soy sauce

• black pepper

Procedure

1. Stir fry the eggplant under high heat. Once browned, toss in the bell pepper and asparagus.

2. Season with Italian seasoning and black pepper.

3. Add tomatoes, soy sauce and sugar. Mix well. Adjust taste.

4. Once desired tasted is achieved, turn off the fire and toss in the tofu balls.

5. Top your al dente spaghetti with this sauce and some cheese.

#tofu