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    Home / Recipes / Vegan Entrees

    Vegan Spaghetti & Meatballs

    Published: Oct 27, 2021 · Modified: Apr 2, 2023 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Vegan spaghetti and meatballs are so delicious that you will think you are overindulging at your favorite Italian restaurant right in your own kitchen. Gluten-free and low in fat, indulge! You will love this vegan meatballs and spaghetti recipe.

    Vegan spaghetti and meatballs recipe on a plate.

    Italian food is my first choice when I get cold and want comfort food. Although most vegan spaghetti and meatballs ordered in a restaurant are fattening, this vegan spaghetti and meatballs recipe is genuinely fabulous. Not only is this recipe simple, but making the vegan meatballs ahead of time saves a lot of time. Refrigerate or freeze both the sauce and the vegan meatballs to use at any time.

    What Vegan Meatballs are Best?

    This vegan meatball recipe, for example, comes from my Ultimate Lentil and Vegetable "Meatless" Loaf recipe. The last time I made my lentil loaf, I doubled the recipe, and made meatballs, and froze them to use for this recipe later. Then, I added the vegan meatballs to my vegan homemade spaghetti sauce, and in minutes I made this vegan spaghetti recipe.

    Another vegan meatball option with fewer ingredients is the lentil meatballs from my Vegan Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe. Also made with lentils, this recipe requires very few ingredients. But these vegan meatballs may also be frozen to help with meal preparation. 

    And, last but not least, when I am in a hurry, I always have a bag of Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs in my freezer. Unfortunately, however, these meatballs contain oil. 

    Choosing the Best Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

    I added spinach to the sauce in the pan on the stove.

    After choosing the vegan meatballs, it's all about the sauce. Despite the marinara and spaghetti sauces available at the store, it is easy to make homemade sauce. For example, I love POMI diced tomatoes and tomato sauce! I also make homemade marinara sauce.

    These tomatoes do not have any oil, fat, sugar, or added preservatives, and Pomi tomatoes are made with tomatoes. So then, it's all about bringing intense flavor to those tomatoes to create the perfect spaghetti sauce for vegan spaghetti and meatballs.

    Vegan Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients

    I added raw spinach to the sauce.
    • POMI Diced Tomatoes: These tomatoes are in a box and contain only tomatoes without sugar, oil, or salt.
    • POMI Tomato Sauce: This tomato sauce brand, like the tomatoes, contains only tomatoes and no other ingredients.
    • Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic for the best sauce flavor.
    • Shallot: Shallots have a delicate, sweet flavor with a hint of allium-y sharpness. You can substitute shallots in nearly any recipe that calls for onions—make sure you're using the same volume.
    • Yellow Onion: Red and yellow onions are richer in antioxidants than other types. Yellow onions may contain almost 11 times more antioxidants than white onions
    • Spinach: Spinach is an extremely nutrient-rich vegetable. It packs high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
    • Mushrooms:I like using baby portobello mushrooms, but any type of mushrooms work well.
    • Basil:I prefer fresh basil for the best flavor.
    • Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes boosts the flavors in the vegan spaghetti sauce.
    • Pure Maple Syrup: Maple syrup gives the sauce a little sweetness.
    • Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B and is used as a thickening ingredient, and it gives the sauce a vegan cheesiness.

    Vegan Spaghetti Sauce Ingredient Substitutions

    • Choose fresh or canned tomatoes and sauce of choice.
    • Jarred minced garlic is close to fresh garlic when not available.
    • Try any type of greens, such as kale or collard greens.
    • I suggest using ½ the amount of dried herbs if fresh basil isn't available.
    • Agave or date syrup is a substitute for maple syrup.
    • Or, skip the maple syrup and use balsamic vinegar instead.

    How to Make Meatballs and Spaghetti

    I am stirring the vegan meatballs into the sauce.
    • I suggest making and freezing the meatballs before baking them. This helps to keep them together.
    • Cook meatballs for 35 minutes (I use a mini muffin pan to prevent them from rolling around).
    • If you plan to freeze the meatballs, after cooking and cooking, leave them in the muffin pan, and flash freeze for 15 minutes before putting them in a freezer zip lock bag.
    • When the meatballs are frozen first, they will also cook well in the sauce as an alternative to baking them.
    • Make the sauce while the meatballs bake (assuming you are baking them first).
    • In a large stockpot, cook garlic, yellow onion, and mushrooms until translucent.
    • Use a little vegetable broth to avoid sticking
    • Add remaining ingredients, except spinach, and bring to a boil.
    • Stir and reduce temperature to low and simmer
    • Add spinach it will wilt immediately.
    • Then add meatballs and allow to simmer
    • Bring a large pit of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons of salt
    • Stir in the pasta.
    • Boil for the amount of time indicated on the package.
    • The pasta I chose took 14 minutes.
    • While pasta cooks, continue to cook the sauce with meatballs
    • Test a meatball to make sure it is heated through
    • Using a colander, drain pasta and rinse with water
    • I like to mix the pasta with the sauce before serving

    Oil-Free Store Bought Spaghetti Sauce

    If you're in a hurry, as we all are,  oil-free pasta sauce brands are available at the grocery store or online. These are two I have used; with a bit of spice and love, you can make store-bought sauce taste much better than it does coming directly from the jar. 

    •  Delallo Pomodoro Fresco Fat-Free Marianara Sauce
    • Muir Glen Organic pasta sauce (check the label, as some types of this Muir Glen sauces contain oil)
    • Delallo Fat-Free Marinara Sauce (also sugar-free)

    Serving Suggestions

    I served crusty bread and vegan parmesan cheese with this vegan meatballs and spaghetti recipe.
    • As a bonus, I garnish with vegan meatballs and spaghetti with  Cashew Vegan Parmesan "Cheese."
    • And I serve with crusty bread for those who love bread at my house. 
    • Try to add an Italian Chopped Salad to get your greens and veggies.
    • I also enjoy Mediterranean Salad with Chickpeas as an alternative.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is a vegan binding agent for vegan meatballs?

    Aquafaba is one of my favorite ways to use this liquid gold to bind and hold the ingredients in vegan meatballs or burgers together. Another delightful thing is that an aquafaba egg, when used in recipes, has no bean flavor whatsoever. It also has very few calories.

    Is Worcestershire sauce vegan?

    The only issue is that regular Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies or fish sauce, so it's not vegan. And while you can buy ready-made vegan Worcestershire sauce, it's not necessarily widely available worldwide.

    What spaghetti is vegan?

    Most packaged pasta—including spaghetti, rotini, and other types—is 100 percent vegan. To know for sure, check the ingredients on your package! Sometimes, you might see “egg” listed as an ingredient in “fresh” kinds of pasta, so avoid those—but generally, pasta contains no animal-derived ingredients.

    Tips

    • Cook form and flash freeze the vegan meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag to prevent them from sticking together. 
    • Or, form the plant-based meatballs uncooked, using the same method, and bake before adding to the sauce. 
    • Double the vegan meatball recipe for easy meal prep, or use a small number of vegan meatballs at a time. 
    • If freezing the spaghetti sauce, do not add the fresh spinach. Instead, once the sauce is thawed and cooked, add the spinach at the end for the best results

    You will love this vegan meatballs and spaghetti recipe! It's delicious, healthy Italian food, perfect for a cold evening.

    More Delicious Vegan Italian Recipes

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    If you love this vegan spaghetti and meatballs recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

    📖 Recipe

    vegan spaghetti and meatballs

    Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs

    Kathy Carmichael
    Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs is so scrumptious, you will think you are overindulging at your favorite Italian restaurant right in your own kitchen. Gluten-free and low in fat, indulge! You won't be disappointed.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Entrees
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 432 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Pasta

    • 8 ounces gluten-free or whole grain spaghetti

    Meatballs (Choose the prefrred recipe)

    • Ultimate Lentil and Vegetable “Meatless” Loaf
    • Sweet and Sour Meatballs
    • Store-bought vegan meatballs of choice

    HOMEMADE SPAGETTI SAUCE

    • 26 ounces POMI diced tomatoes (or your favorite diced tomatoes
    • 17 ounces POMI tomato sauce
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 shallot minced
    • 1 yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
    • 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil + 2 more Tablespoons for garnish
    • 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
    • 8 ounces spinach
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
    • 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

    Instructions
     

    Meatballs

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    • You can use either recipe above.
    • I suggest freezing the meatballs before baking or adding to the spaghetti sauce.
    • Cook meatballs for 35 minutes (I use a mini muffin pan to prevent them from rolling around).
    • If you plan to freeze the meatballs after cooking and cooking, leave them in the muffin pan and flash freeze for 15 minutes before putting them in a freezer zip lock bag.
    • If you use the meatballs directly from the oven, set them aside until your sauce is prepared. They reheat well in the sauce.
    • If the meatballs are frozen first, they will also cook well in the sauce.

    Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

    • In a large stockpot, cook garlic, yellow onion, and mushrooms until translucent.
    • Add a little vegetable broth to avoid sticking.
    • Add the remaining ingredients, except spinach, and bring to a boil.
    • Stir and reduce temperature to low and simmer.
    • Add the spinach; it will wilt immediately.
    • Then add meatballs and allow to simmer until heated throw.

    Pasta

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons of salt.
    • Add pasta and stir.
    • Boil for the amount of time indicated on the package.
    • The pasta I chose took 14 minutes.
    • While pasta cooks, continue to cook the sauce with meatballs.
    • Test a meatball to make sure it is heated through.
    • Using a colander, drain the pasta and rinse with water.
    • I like to mix the pasta with the sauce before serving.

    Garmish

    • Cashew Vegan Parmesan “Cheese”
      Chopped basil

    Serve

    • In a shallow bowl, place a spoonful of sauce
    • Then, using tongs, add some pasta to the center of the bowl
    • Add more sauce with meatballs
    • Top with basil and Cashew Vegan Parmesan “Cheese”
    • Serve with bread or a side salad
    • ENJOY!

    Notes

    • Cook form and flash freeze the vegan meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag to prevent them from sticking together. 
    • Or, form the plant-based meatballs uncooked, using the same method, and bake them before adding them to the sauce. 
    • Double the vegan meatball recipe for easy meal prep, or use a small number of vegan meatballs at a time. 
    • If freezing the spaghetti sauce, do not add the fresh spinach.
    • Instead, add the spinach at the end once the sauce is thawed and cooked for the best results. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 432kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 29gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1190mgPotassium: 1661mgFiber: 10gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 6256IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 204mgIron: 9mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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