Penne Marinara, with vegan balls.

 

So, this is how I made use of those vegan meatballs. I usually like spaghetti, my hubby likes penne, so, I cooked some whole wheat penne pasta and topped it with marinara sauce. Makes a very heavy lunch or dinner and it is tasty too. Marinara sauce is very simple to make and uses very less ingredients. If you are in a hurry and need to fix something fast and healthy, this recipe is the one you choose to do. Use vegan cheese to make the recipe vegan. The amount of oil and cheese are you to your choice.

Prep time: 10 Mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: upto 6

Ingredients:

1. Whole grain\multi grain\regular pasta - 1 box (please cook the amount you would use)

2. Tomatoes [plum preferably] - 4 to 6, Finely chopped

3. Tomato paste - 1 6oz can,

4. Garlic - 3 to 4 pods grated\minced or paste of 2 tsp.

5. Basil dry - 3 tsp, or 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped.

6. Olive oil - 1/4 cup (you can use less)

7. Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (you can use less)

8. Salt - to taste

9. Ground Pepper - 1/2 tsp

10. Chilly flakes - 1/2 tsp [optional]

Method:

1. Cook the amount of pasta you need according to the instructions on the box. It would be good for your health if you used multi grain or whole wheat pasta.

2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic and dry basil, saute for a few seconds. 

3. Add chopped tomatoes, place a lid on the pan and a little salt and let it sweat well.

4. Add the tomato paste and sufficient water, pepper and salt. Cook for 10 minutes. The consistency of the sauce must be slightly thinner than of ketchup after it cooks for 10 minutes.

5. If you are using fresh basil, add it and let it simmer for 2 minutes more. While this is going on, drop in the vegan meatballs and cover the lid on the pan. after 2 minutes, turn the stove off and let it stay for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are using frozen vegan balls as I did, drop them in before 5 minutes you turn the stove off. Pour over pasta and enjoy.

Tips:

If you want to, you can toss in pasta into the sauce and cook for 3 more minutes, it makes the pasta absorb the sauce more. If you have made a lot of sauce and won't be using it just then, ladle out some sauce into separate pan, add pasta and cook. Keep in mind, vegan balls get very delicate after soaking in the sauce.