Vegetarian spaghetti meal question?

There are so many different types of vegetarian diets-so, be safe and do not include cheese or dairy. You can add tofu crumbles, or Boca Burger crumbles, or Morningstar Farms crumbles to the spaghetti sauce for a complete protein. You can also add walnuts or pecans to your salad for protein. Proteins are always best assimilated by combining with a complex carbohydrate-and use whole wheat spaghetti! Enjoy!

You could add beansprouts to the salad - they are really good for you and not expensive. Or you could add some nuts. You could add quorn or soya mince to the spaghetti sauce, or you could use lentils in the sauce - eg red, brown, green or puy. You probably don't need huge amounts of garlic bread as you already have a fair amount of carbs in the spaghetti. We don't need as much protein as people often consume, and remember she will have plenty in other meals that day. Milk also has protein in it - including if you put a bit of cheese on top of the sauce. You could look at having a sauce which has protein in it - maybe a hommous dip/sauce (just thin with water for a sauce) with the salad. Good for you in making an effort for your friend - I am sure she will be really touched.

You can add cottage cheese or ricotta cheese to the marinara sauce. It makes it creamy and tastes delicious. It is true that you don't need a compete protein at every meal, however, you do need more protein than the pasta and bread provide on their own. It's a special occasion anyway, though, so even if you didn't add the protein, it's not going to hurt you from just one meal. Have fun! :)

Don't worry about it, or make a cream sauce- butter, cream cheese.. am I missing something?

They are protein.

ONe of the most famous Italian dishes is pasta con ceci- spaghetti with chickpeas.

I wouldn't worry about it since all the amino acids necessary to make a complete protein aren't needed at every meal, just every day.

(Any cheese you might put on the spaghetti though would be a complete protein, as would any butter you put on bread.)

If you live near a Trader Joe's, buy the soy chorizo for $1.99, and mix it in the sauce. It is vegan and high protein- the only drawback is the sodium, so don't add any salt to the pasta or sauce. I have cooked this many times for people of all ages (mostly meat-eaters!) and everyone likes it. It is spicy, but not overly so.

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