Press the tofu manually or using a tofu press until most of the water has been drained.

In a large bowl, place the pressed tofu, and using a potato masher, mash the tofu until it's broken up into small pieces. Stir in the very finely chopped onion, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, beetroot powder, soy sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, chopped fresh basil, freshly ground fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, chopped fresh parsley, and tomato paste. Mix using a sturdy spatula until well combined. Adjust the seasoning to your taste before adding the flour.

Once you have adjusted the seasoning, add the all-purpose flour to the mixture, and continue mixing until a dough comes together. If the mixture is too wet, add a little more flour.

Using a small cookie scoop, make balls out of the dough until you have used all the mixture. Place the meatballs on a parchment paper-lined tray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and cook the meatballs in batches of 8. For every batch, add 1/2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce. Pan-fry the meatballs until golden on all sides, about 4 to 7 minutes per batch.

Place the pan-fried meatballs back onto the parchment paper-lined baking tray. Let them rest until room temperature.

Refrigerate the meatballs for a minimum of 2 hours to overnight to achieve the right consistency.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the chilled meatballs back onto the parchment paper-lined baking tray and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.

In a non-stick large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and sauté garlic until golden. Stir in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Lower the heat and add the seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the vegan cheese sauce, then add the vegan meatballs to the skillet, and let them simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!