Spaghetti with Meat (less) Balls

I have always wanted to try spaghetti with meat balls but have never done so because the meat balls are usually made with beef/turkey, both of which I do not eat. It suddenly dawned on me that I might as well make my own vegetarian version...so here it is. Instead of the cutlet recipe that I followed for the vegetable balls, feel free to try your favourite kofta recipe. I am sure it will taste great. 

Ingredients

For Marinara Sauce

Canned tomatoes – 1 14.5 oz can (I used a can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic)

Onion (finely chopped) – 2-3 tbsps

Garlic (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Fresh basil (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp

Dried oregano – 1-2 tsps

Olive oil – 2 tbsps

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For Meat (less) Balls

I followed the recipe for cutlet that has been posted here - http://squaremeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/green-vegetable-cutlet.html. Instead of shallow frying them, I deep fried the balls. Next time around, I will be baking them as the frying made them a little oily. 

For Pasta

I used whole wheat spaghetti. You can choose your favourite variety and follow the cooking instructions on the pack.

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion and garlic to it. Sauté till the onions turn translucent and the garlic loses its raw smell. At this point, add the tomatoes, basil and oregano and let it simmer for 5 minutes or till it thickens a bit. Mash the tomato pieces if they are too big. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to suit your palate.

Place the cooked and drained pasta on a plate, place a few vegetable balls on it and top with the marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Bon Appétit.

Note 1) You can replace the canned tomatoes with fresh ones, that have been blanched. Blanching involves putting the tomatoes into boiling water for about 1 minute and then removing them into cold water. After they cool down a bit, peel the tomatoes and dice. 
         2) If using fresh tomatoes, increase the amount of onions.

         3)  I used fresh basil as I have a plant at home. Dry basil will work well too.