Meatball vs. Meatless Pasta Dinner

I’ve been a vegetarian for about 5 months now and it’s become a BIG CHALLENGE sometimes to get a meal going for the whole family. I usually cook meals without meat (I never liked handling raw meat anyway – so this is a blessing ;P) But once a while I think of treating my family to something that my husband would call ‘normal’ ;P  Maybe you have a similar situation of some people not eating the same meal due to preferences or allergies perhaps… if so, you know how crazy it can be to put a meal together without a headache. I wanted to share these delicious recipes with you because they were a hit it my family – and no one got hurt ;D

I should also point out that we usually eat our dinner (late lunch) between 2 and 3 pm. It’s usually the biggest meal of the day and our supper is usually smaller and lighter on the stomach. Plus we have healthy snacks in between. This isn’t abnormal in any way – people eat like this in most parts of the world and it’s a fantastic way maintain good digestion and stay healthy. If you can possibly adjust your meals I would suggest you try and do that – it’s harder to pull off if you have late work schedules to play with. If you or someone does work late try to have a pasta dish for lunch instead of having it in the evening. I always remembered this saying that a man should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper ;D

Meatball vs. Meatless Pasta

Let the challenge begin!

This is a very versatile pasta dish really – so feel free to throw in your favourite ingredients. I started by cooking some pasta, then in a large deep sauce pan I sauteed some diced onions with garlic. During this time I prepared the meatballs; I used ground turkey, spiced with salt and pepper, basil and oregano with some of the onions and garlic and some bread soaked in milk (I didn’t have any breadcrumbs around) plus 1 egg joined the group. I cooked these in a small pot of boiling water.

Please note (if you had a peak at the end of this post) that I made some mini burgers at the same time. I simply shaped them to resemble more of a patty and cooked them in a frying pan to get a nicer browned look and sauteed flavour. (you  can skip this or shape the patties and cook them the next day for lunch let’s say).

Back to the pasta. I added the cooked and well drained pasta, by now to the sauce pan with the onion and garlic, I added some spaghetti sauce and then I added a bunch of spinach, covered and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Then I moved some of this saucy pasta to another pan to make the MEATLESS version. I added the meatballs to one pan and the textured soy protein (featured here) to the other pan. (don’t forget to add some boiling water if the sauce gets too dry). You let that cook a little more and then you’re done!

In the end we had two very delicious pasta dinners. IT’S A WIN WIN FOR ALL!  My husband likes a little spice in his dish but he learned to add the chili flakes onto the plated dish as we have a little toddler. So my cooking isn’t as spicy as I wish it could be but go ahead an tweak to your own desire and add your favourite spices that complement an Italian pasta dish.

This is my daughter’s dish. She got to have some of the meatballs and the TSP – the perfect balance to both our worlds ;D   (please note that the raspberry desert was first added only for the purpose of the photo – I took them out and she got them AFTER she had dinner first. Otherwise they would have been the first to disappear).

These are the MINI TURKEY BURGERS that I mentioned above. They were meant for today’s lunch but my husband came home after work looking for something to much on so I made these for him. The key is to find a cute little bun like the ones we found from Presiden’t Choice. They are so good and pre-cut, and can pretty much go with anything.

Do you try and cook two ways in your home? Let me know if you do and if you have some easy favourite meal ideas or tips to share. BUON APPETITO!

Happy Friday Everyone!  Any interesting plans for the weekend? We have a family trip day planned to Centre Island! Can’t wait. It’s one of my favourite places to visit in the GTA – there’s a great beach area there too so my daughter can build great SAND CASTLES – it will be her first day at the beach this season ;)