There’s something about having balls in the name of a recipe if you’re mature like me that makes it that much more fun, no? =)

In all seriousness, I am excited to share this recipe with you guys! It’s an awesome one and I haven’t posted a recipe in a LONG time.

The idea for these came to me because I wanted to do something on the creative side with tofu rather than just baking it, and I remembered how good that tofu ricotta that I made into lasagna was. I wanted to go with that same concept of crumbling it up, and then I realized crumbling it up could work perfectly in an italian meatball type dish, but with tofu instead! These balls are packed with flavor and texture, and are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are absolutely delicious and could work well over pasta, on a sub with sauce and cheese, or just straight up dipped into sauce like I had them for dinner last night!

Italian Tofuballs

• Entire recipe yields 20 pts+, or 1 pt+ per tofuball if you make 20
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Printable recipe here

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 block tofu, pressed (I use this)
• 2 slices bread of choice (I used Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame)
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• generous handful of parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup eggwhites

Directions:

To start, cook the onion and garlic in a pan over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes.

While that is cooking, toast the bread and then place it in a food processor and process until it becomes breadcrumb consistency.

Next, add the pressed tofu to a large bowl and crumble with your hands or a fork.

Then, add in the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic and onion mixture.

Mix to combine before adding your egg whites, and then mix again until uniform consistency.

Now, turn your oven to 350º and it’s time to get your hands dirty and make the balls! I just formed about a handful into small tofuballs that were about an inch in diameter.

Place them on a greased baking sheet, or else if you’re like me and your oven isn’t big enough for a baking sheet, two pans will work just fine.

Now, place them in your preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning half way. They are done when they are crispy and browned on the outside and cooked through!

I was impressed with how well they held together and how much they look like actual (turkey)meatballs.

I had 7 of them for dinner for 7 pts+ with a 1/2 cup of sauce for dipping.

They held up really well to the sauce and it was the perfect compliment to the balls!

Since everything is mixed through, the middle of them are filled with different flavors and textures and are absolutely delicious!

Enjoy!