Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs
This dish is a delicious, plant based twist on an Italian classic – perfect for vegan diets or if you just want to eat a little less meat!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories396
- Carbs67g
- Protein17g
- Fat3.6g
- Saturates0.6g
- Sugars13g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Whether you’re taking part in Veganuary or you just fancy eating a little less meat, this Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is really tasty and super satisfying.
We’ve used beans, mushrooms, oats and a bit of seasoning to create a delicious, vegan alternative to the classic meatball and they’re so good that you won’t even notice the lack of meat!
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil across the top really helps to boost the flavours of this dish and makes it extra special, but this can add on lots of calories. A great alternative is a pure olive oil spray that has just 2 calories per spray as this means that you can enjoy the flavour and ensure that your meal is still slimming friendly.
If you wanted to serve the spaghetti and sauce without the meatballs then this is still a really delicious meal, or if you have any meatballs leftover then why not try them in our Meatball Marinara Slider for a really tasty, quick meal.
What diets is this Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs suitable for?
Our Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is suitable for dairy free, vegetarian and – as the name suggests! – vegan diets.
Do double check your pasta to make sure that it’s vegan, as almost all dried varieties are, but fresh types usually contain egg.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Nope! You can find all of the ingredients to make this recipe in your local supermarket.
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A food processor is essential to getting a nice even consistency for your ‘meatballs’.
You’ll also need a baking tray or two to cook your ‘meatballs’ on – remember to line it with foil!
How many calories are in this Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe?
There are 396 calories per portion in this Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
For the meatballs
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°c.
Step 2
Put the onion in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Step 3
Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray, add the onion and the stock pot (without water) and gently fry for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
Step 4
While the onion is cooking, pulse the 100g of mushrooms for the meatballs in the food processor until finely chopped. Transfer them into a separate bowl with the oats.
Step 5
Add the beans, marmite and tomato puree to the food processor and pulse until you have a chunky paste.
Step 6
Pour the bean paste into the bowl with the mushrooms and add the cooked onion, paprika, onion granules and garlic granules. Mix to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. The mix will be sticky and thick, but not runny.
Step 7
Line a baking tray with foil and spray with low calorie cooking spray.
Step 8
Shape the mixture into meatballs and place on the baking tray. You are aiming for around 50-60 small meatballs that are about 2cm in diameter each (This is about a heaped teaspoon of mix). The mixture will be sticky so be gentle when forming the meatballs.
Step 9
Once formed, spray the tops of the meatballs with low calorie cooking spray and place in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked, the outsides will be firm but the insides will be a little springy. When you remove the meatballs from the oven let them cool for 5 minutes before gently removing from the baking tray. This will help prevent them sticking and breaking apart.
For the spaghetti
Step 1
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the pasta and sauce. In the frying pan add the onion and red pepper and sauté gently over a medium heat for 10 minutes until softened.
Step 2
Add the 150g of mushrooms for the sauce and balsamic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and coloured.
Step 3
Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic granules, basil and oregano. Stir in the tomato puree and turn down to simmer for 15 minutes while the meatballs finish cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4
Add the dried spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and serve with the sauce, meatballs and optional fresh basil torn and scattered over the top.
What could I serve with Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs?
This dish doesn’t really need any accompaniment, but some green veggies would be a great addition. You could also serve alongside any of the following (you’ll need to adapt the Cheesy Garlic Bread and Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad for a vegan diet however!):
How do you know when this Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is cooked?
You should cook your ‘meatballs’ for around 30 minutes until the outside is firm and the inside is a little springy.
The sauce for this dish needs to be simmered for around 15 minutes and your spaghetti will need to be cooked according to the packet instructions.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes or until piping hot.
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Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs
This dish is a delicious, plant based twist on an Italian classic - perfect for vegan diets or if you just want to eat a little less meat!
-
Prep Time
15 MINS
-
Cook Time
35 MINS
- KCals 396
- Carbs 67G
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- Put the onion in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray, add the onion and the stock pot (without water) and gently fry for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
- While the onion is cooking, pulse the 100g of mushrooms for the meatballs in the food processor until finely chopped. Transfer them into a separate bowl with the oats.
- Add the beans, marmite and tomato puree to the food processor and pulse until you have a chunky paste.
- Pour the bean paste into the bowl with the mushrooms and add the cooked onion, paprika, onion granules and garlic granules. Mix to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. The mix will be sticky and thick, but not runny.
- Line a baking tray with foil and spray with low calorie cooking spray.
- Shape the mixture into meatballs and place on the baking tray. You are aiming for around 50-60 small meatballs that are about 2cm in diameter each (This is about a heaped teaspoon of mix). The mixture will be sticky so be gentle when forming the meatballs.
- Once formed, spray the tops of the meatballs with low calorie cooking spray and place in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked, the outsides will be firm but the insides will be a little springy. When you remove the meatballs from the oven let them cool for 5 minutes before gently removing from the baking tray. This will help prevent them sticking and breaking apart.
For the spaghetti
- While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the pasta and sauce. In the frying pan add the onion and red pepper and sauté gently over a medium heat for 10 minutes until softened.
- Add the 150g of mushrooms for the sauce and balsamic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and coloured.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic granules, basil and oregano. Stir in the tomato puree and turn down to simmer for 15 minutes while the meatballs finish cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the dried spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and serve with the sauce, meatballs and optional fresh basil torn and scattered over the top.
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Recipe notes
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4 comments
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HGilmanThursday 6th January 2022
What can I use as an alternative to marmite?
SharonFriday 7th January 2022
Hi Hannah, the Marmite is an important ingredient in this recipe. As it’s so thick and sticky it helps bind the meatball ingredients together and it adds a strong savoury flavour too. We would recommend using Marmite or any other similar brand of yeast extract.Supermarkets make their own brands of yeast extract and depending where you live, there are brands such as Vegemite, Bovril and Promite available.
AmberMonday 15th March 2021
Hi, how much (in grams) is a serving please? Thanks
HollyMonday 15th March 2021
Hey Amber, We work out our recipes on the serving size not by weight. To work out your own weight of a serving you would need to make the finished dish and divide servings, as the weight will vary due to variation of ingredients and water content it’s not something we can do as an exact measure. If you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page on the website there is a little arrow by servings and you can alter up or down to serve more or less people. Hope that helps!
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