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, easy vegan spaghetti and meatballs are guilt-free and 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 for vegan spaghetti and meatballs?
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 Oil-Free Vegan Swedish Lentil Meatballs. 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.
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.
Choosing the best vegan spaghetti sauce
After choosing the vegan meatballs, it's all about the sauce. Despite the marinara sauces and spaghetti sauces available at the store, it is easy to make homemade sauce. For example, I love POMI diced tomatoes and tomato sauce!
Not only do these tomatoes not have any oil, fat, sugar, or added preservatives, 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
- POMI diced tomatoes (or your favorite diced tomatoes
- POMI tomato sauce
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Yellow onion
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Basil
- Red pepper flakes
- Pure maple syrup
- Nutritional yeast
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)
FAQs
- To keep vegan meatballs together, you can use a combination of grains like quinoa, rice, breadcrumbs, or flour. You may also add chia seeds or flax seeds to ensure binding.
- You can use different grains, beans, legumes, and other vegetables for your vegan meatball. For a meaty texture, you may also add chickpeas and mushrooms.
Pasta: Gluten-free or whole-grain
Your choice of pasta has to do with the plant-based plan you follow. For that reason, I am quickly becoming a fan of every new gluten-free pasta I can find.
Not long ago, gluten-free pasta was gummy and nothing like the real deal.
Today, though, gluten-free pasta tastes better, in my opinion, than "real" pasta. In fact, for this recipe, I used Andean Dream Quinoa Spaghetti.
As a result, I can honestly say I don't ever want to eat regular pasta again. But, regardless of the pasta chosen, the meatballs, sauce, and pasta taste like Italian comfort food!
As a bonus, I garnish with Cashew Vegan Parmesan "Cheese," and I serve with vegan garlic bread for those who love bread at my house.
Do you love vegan Italian food? Then, check out these yummy recipes!
- Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe
- Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Soup
- Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- Pasta Carbonara
- Butternut Squash Lasagna
- Vegan Lasagna
- Creamy Italian Dressing
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Penne Arrabbiata
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
📖 Recipe
Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
PASTA
- 8 ounces gluten-free or whole grain spaghetti
MEATBALLS: YOU CHOOSE RECIPE LINK
- Ultimate Lentil and Vegetable “Meatless” Loaf
- Oil-Free Vegan Swedish Lentil Meatballs
- Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs
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
- Using either recipe above, preheat the oven to 350.
- 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 plan to 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 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
PASTA
- Bring a large pit 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 a 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
GARNISH
- 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
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.
Nutrition
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! 🙂
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