As someone who follows a mostly vegetarian diet, I have cooked tofu countless times in different forms but had never been able to successfully incorporate it in a tomato based, italian style dish so when I came across this recipe, I rolled my eyes and thought "this is never going to work".
Well... how wrong was I. This recipe surprised me and has easily become the revelation of my year!
Incredibly simple to make and so full of flavour. Give a try, it might be the revelation of your year too. Hope you enjoy.
What you'll need
Main ingredients
- 250g firm tofu - we used Tofoo
- 35g walnuts
- 40g pitted black olives (optional)
Fresh/ frozen
- 1 large onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- Handful of basil leaves
- Parsley
Store cupboard
- Tin of tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Dried oregano
- Nutritional yeast for flavour (optional but recommended)
- Cornflour to help binding (optional)
- Chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
What to do
- Heat oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make our quick marinara sauce. Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the diced onion. Stir occasionally and cook through for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic, 1 tbsp dried oregano, pinch of chilli flakes (optional) some salt and pepper and cook for a further minute or two. Add the tin of tomatoes, bring to the boil then reduce to a low-heat and simmer very gently whilst you prepare and cook the meatballs.
- Make the tofu mixture. Add the tofu, ½ diced onion, walnuts, parsley, oregano, 2 garlic cloves, pitted black olives (optional), nutritional yeast (optional), corn flour (optional) and salt & pepper to a food processor. Blend until combined. Stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor once or twice.
- Shape the mixture into small balls of 20 gr each by rolling them between the palms of your hands. You should be able to get 20-22 tofu balls. Tip: If you find that the mixture sticks when rolling, grease your hands with a few drops of olive oil, works a charm!
- Cook the meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on your prepared baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Make this a meal. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Time to plate up. Top with fresh basil and serve up the meatballs with your choice of greens or courgetti. Enjoy!
