Spaghetti with Vegan Tempeh Balls

If we're going to start somewhere, what better place than spaghetti? It's always an all-around crowd pleaser, and a toddler approved meal (which makes mealtime way easier in our house). We made this version tonight, adapted from a recipe in the queen of vegan cooking's amazing new cookbook; Isa Chandra Moskowitz's "Isa Does It". 

This recipe uses a sweet, caramelized onion tomato sauce topped with savory, protein packed tempeh balls (vegan version of meatballs for all you newbies). I've changed the recipe slightly from the book to ensure the sauce isn't spicy to make it toddler-friendly. The sauce is super versatile so you can add any of your favorite pasta sauce add-ins to suit your taste. My toddler slurped up a huge plate of this spaghetti, and he never dropped one bite! 

Spaghetti with Tempeh Balls

Ingredients for tempeh balls:

• 1 pound tempeh
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Several pinches of fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Olive oil - for panfrying 

Ingredients for marinara sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion - finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic - minced 
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 

Everything else:

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

First, we're going to start cooking the tempeh for the tempeh balls. Crumble the tempeh into a sauce pan and add water, Bragg, and olive oil. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Make sure to leave the lid ajar while simmering to let steam escape.

While the tempeh is cooking, start preparing the sauce. Preheat the oil in a two quart pot over medium-low heat. Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned; about 10 minutes. 

Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the brown sugar and cook for about one minute until the sugar is dissolved and coating all the onions. 

Mix in the thyme, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and stir. Cover the pot, leaving a space for steam to escape, and cook for 15 minutes. 

At this point, the tempeh should have absorbed all or almost all of the water in the pan. Drain the tempeh if there is any excess water, then place the tempeh into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Put the bowl of tempeh into the freezer to cool. It takes about 10 minutes. Stir it about halfway through to make sure everything cools evenly. 

Start to boil a large pot of salted water for the spaghetti, and cook according to package instructions once boiling.

Once the tempeh mixture is cool, add the garlic, ketchup, mustard, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix and then add the onions and mix again. Add the panko and mix once more.

Use your hands to incorporate all the ingredients until the mixture holds together. You can add more panko by the tablespoon if the mixture isn't holding together well. Roll golf ball-sized amounts of the mixture into very tight, compact balls. 

Now, preheat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the tempeh balls and roll them in the pan to coat them in oil. Panfry for about 10-15 minutes, making sure to frequently roll them to cook evenly.

That's it! Now top your noodles with the pasta sauce (I purée ours in a blender to make the consistency smoother) and three or four tempeh balls a piece!