I’ve never really been a “meat lover,” but also never officially took the vegetarian plunge either. I would have the slice of ham at Christmas. I did my civic duty and taste-tested the various cheese steaks when visiting Philly. And have indulged in the crazy idea that is “street meat” at 3am after a few too many. (Street meat: Strange man cutting lamb off of a rotating stick from the back of a truck that may or may not be in violation of various health department codes.) These occasions are rare, however. At one stage of my life, I dated a pescatarian. After being informed that it was NOT a religious sect, but instead a type of diet… I thought “Well, sure… Why not?” And because I wasn’t making two different dinners every night-I came to consider myself a pescatarian “by proxy.”
There are a lot of variations of pescatarianism. In general, the only “meat” eaten is fish. My pseudo meatless life allowed me to eat eggs and dairy also.
So, even though I am a loosely labeled pescatarian who doesn’t crave burgers or bacon, I can appreciate that most people do. Having a medical background, I do always try to find the healthier option though. What’s the healthier option to meatballs? Tofu meatballs obviously!
Now if you’re anything like me-you just cringed at the mention of tofu. Honestly, I used to want to hang my head in the toilet at the mention of a colorless, jiggly square with the same consistency as flan. Gross.
So, then why am I painting you this beautiful picture when I’m trying to sell you on the idea of tofu meatballs?
textured vegetable protein
Textured vegetable protein. Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is made from soybean oil. It’s high in protein and fiber, and low in fat and sodium.
It’s dried though, so it needs to be rehydrated in water to make it soft and moldable. And it looks nothing like tofu, so I think this made it easier for me to wrap my head around. The best thing about tofu (or in this case TVP) is that it basically assumes the taste of whatever you cook with it. Essentially-you can make it taste like anything you want! So, if you’re making spaghetti and meatballs. All you need is some Italian spices and Voila!
Yields: 15 meatballs
Prep Time: 50 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hr 10 minutes
Ingredients:
½ bag of TVP (approximately 5 oz)
2 eggs
½ cup bread crumbs + 1/8 cup reserved for coating
2 tbsp marinara sauce (any red sauce will do but I usually add mine because I’m making it anyway)
pinch of salt
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp flour
½ yellow onion, diced
1 mushroom, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1. Place TVP in medium bowl and add just enough water to cover tofu. Soak 10-15 minutes. This will make the tofu soft and moldable.
2. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan and heat over medium/high heat. Add garlic and onion and reduce to low/med heat. Cook until onions are translucent, ~5 minutes. You’ll know they are done when you can cut them easily with a spoon.
3. Add mushrooms, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley, oregano. Set aside to cool.
4. Drain all liquid from TVP. I squeeze the TVP in my hands to get all the moisture out.
5. Add mushroom/onion mixture to TVP. Mix in eggs, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, flour, salt, red sauce, and cheese.
6. Sprinkle wax paper with remainder of bread crumbs. Form TVP mixture into balls and place on wax paper (rolling around to coat with remainder of bread crumbs). Refrigerate X ~30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350.
8. Heat pan on stove and add 1 tbsp oil. Brown meatballs over medium heat.
9. Transfer to oven and bake ~15 minutes.
The Cook’s 2 cents:
· When shaping them into balls, I frequently use my hands. However, if you need them to be uniform in shape, say for a dinner party, an ice cream scooper works well.
· The refrigeration process helps them to keep their shape. If you’re pressed for time, you could skip this step, but they will be more likely to break apart when cooking. Alternatively, these can easily be made the day before.
· I’ve tried to be carb conscious and forego the bread crumbs, but they tend to break apart easier if you do this.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 3 meatballs Servings per recipe: 5 Calories: 246 Fat: 10g Sodium: 223mg Carbs: 24g Fiber: 6g Sugars: 4g Protein: 21g
