Vegan Spaghetti & Meatballs
This Vegan Spaghetti & Meatball dish is the perfect comfort food. Not only is it healthy and delicious, but the meatballs can also be frozen and kept on hand to serve any time you like.
I used to love meatballs with marinara whether they were served on an Italian Sub or even better with a plate of pasta. I’m SO glad there is a delicious vegan spaghetti dish I can feel good about eating again! If you’re in the mood for lasagna, try Chef AJ’s Vegetable Lasagna Recipe.
You’ll love this vegan spaghetti recipe because it’s…
- Hearty
- Comforting
- Saucy
- Easy
- Guilt-free
- Absolutely delicious!
These amazingly scrumptious vegan meatballs contain no beef, pork, or fake meat. They are completely wholesome and surprisingly delicious.
How to make this vegan pasta dish
Making meatless spaghetti is very simple and even versatile. There are so many different types of healthy pasta that can be used including quinoa pasta, whole wheat, spelt, and others.
Making vegan meatballs
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper.
Begin by cooking the bulgur according to package directions. It cooks on the stove or in a rice cooker in about 15-minutes. I really like to batch cook bulgur in my rice cooker and freeze it for use in other recipes like this one, spaghetti, lasagna, and nachos.
Dice the veggies–onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and walnuts. One tip here is that a blender or food processor makes it easy to make bread crumbs. It’s also great for chopping walnuts.
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (including the fully-cooked bulgur). Mix with a spoon, or do like I do, and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
Form into balls and place on a baking sheet. If the mixture seems too wet, add a few more oats. If it seems too dry, add a little bit of the juice drained from tomatoes or water. These should hold together to form balls pretty well.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Making the pasta
While the meatballs are baking, put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook your spaghetti noodles according to the package directions. Usually, pasta takes about 15-minutes to cook on the stovetop.
Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain and rinse under cool water to remove the starchy residue and stop the cooking process.
Healthy oil-free marinara
Lastly, place the meatballs on a plate with the pasta and top with your favorite marinara sauce.
Believe it or not, the Aldi discount grocery store has a marinara brand that is Dr. John McDougall compliant, with no oil. It’s called Simply Nature and is organic. Here in North Carolina, it sells for about $2 for 25 oz.
Make sure to read the labels, because some variations do contain oil or animal products. Aldi stores often carry different products, so do a quick check of the ingredient list.
Another great oil-free marinara is the DeLallo Fat-Free Brand. It can be ordered on Amazon and delivered straight to your door. I actually love this particular brand.
If you would rather, you can make your own marinara sauce.
Veggie spaghetti side dish options
Serve this veggie spaghetti dish alone or with a fresh garden salad, crusty sourdough bread, or even corn on the cob.
I highly recommend topping this with my Vegan Parmesan Cheese in 5-Minutes to really push it over the top!
Tips for making vegan spaghetti
- I highly recommend using whole-grain pasta to keep this dish completely healthy.
- Don’t overcook the pasta, or it will become mushy. Rinsing it under cool water helps to stop the cooking process quickly.
- The vegan meatballs firm up even more after refrigerating them.
Your Questions Answered:
- Q: What are vegan meatballs made of? There are many different variations of vegan meatballs, but this recipe is made from a whole grain called bulgur, rolled oats, and bread crumbs.
- Q: Are these meatballs gluten-free? No, this recipe is not gluten-free because it uses bulgur. However, buckwheat groats could be substituted for the bulgur and gluten-free breadcrumbs could be used to make these gluten-free.
- Q: What is the best way to store these? These meatballs should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Q: Can the leftovers be frozen? Yes, and I freeze them all the time. They hold up well and are delicious the second time around.
Other great Italian recipes
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese in 5-Minutes
- Meatball Italian Sub
- Healthy Pizza in Minutes
- English Muffin Mini Veggie Pizzas
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Vegan Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 cups cooked bulgur
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (equals 2-3 slices of bread)
- 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 can 15 oz fire roasted tomatoes, (with juice drained and reserved)
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 3/4 cup carrot diced
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 green pepper diced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- sea salt to your taste
Pasta & Marinara
Instructions
Meatball Instructions
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350. Parchment paper makes clean up so much easier with this recipe.
- Cook bulgur according to package directions. It cooks on the stovetop or in a rice cooker in about 15-minutes.
- Dice all veggies–onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and walnuts.
- Mix all ingredients in a very large bowl. You can use a spoon, but I prefer to use my hands to thoroughly blend ingredients.
- Form into balls and place on a baking sheet. If the mixture seems too wet, add a few more oats. If it seems too dry, add a little bit of the juice drained from tomatoes or water. These should hold together to form balls pretty well.
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- To make these meatballs even firmer, cook a day ahead and refrigerate. When they are reheated, the texture is very firm and the flavors have had time to marry and are fabulous.
- Cooking Pasta
- While this is cooking, put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook your spaghetti noodles according to the package directions. Usually, pasta takes about 15-minutes to cook on the stovetop.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain and rinse under cool water to remove the starchy residue and stop the cooking process.
Assembly Instructions
- Lastly, place the meatballs on a plate with the pasta and top with your favorite marinara sauce. Homemade options linked above in the article above.
Video
Notes
- I highly recommend using whole-grain pasta to keep this dish completely healthy.
- Don’t overcook the pasta, or it will become mushy. Rinsing it under cool water helps to stop the cooking process quickly.
- The vegan meatballs firm up even more after refrigerating them.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
My favorite meatball recipe. I also flattened some and my our now favorite burger. Thanks so much
Hi Debbie- That’s awesome! I’m so glad that you liked them and even turned the recipe into burgers. Great idea!
Thank you so much for the recipes! It says this makes 6 servings but how many meatballs is a serving? Not sure how to big to make them.
Hi Amelia- You’re very welcome! This recipe should make about 12 meatballs, so approximately 2 per serving.
Wow! Just made these and even my meat eating husband is loving them!!
Hi Ellen- For the WIN!! That’s awesome, and I’m thrilled that your husband liked the vegan meatballs too. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Very good and filling! Thanks!
I didn’t have bulgar so I used millet. These meatless balls are terrific. Thanks.
I found my forever meatball recipe Thank you Teri!
I made those last week so delicious, made meatball subs then the spaghetti and meatballs my husband even took a sandwich for his lunch that’s how much he loved them. Last night I made them again with the idea of a savory flavor meatball I omitted the tomato sautéed mushrooms and onions added a cup of that. Added 1/2 teaspoons each of Thyme, sage and rosemary served with egg noodles and a vegan gravy so delicious.
Hi Darlene- WooHoo! I’m so glad that you and your husband liked these so much! Thank you for letting me know. 😀
Thanks for providing substitutions to make these gluten free. Is there a substitute for the oats as my body perceives them as gluten due to the similar protein?
Lisa- Perhaps you could try quinoa flakes as a replacement for the oats.
I just found your recipe for these meatballs. I have a question. Can I freeze these for future use?.
Elizabeth- Absolutely! I freeze them all the time, and they do great.