Vegan Spaghettios
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Let’s take the Childhood Classic and make it Vegan and Better! These Vegan SpaghettiOs are perfect for adults and kids alike!
There’s not much to say about this other than it’s super NOSTALGIC and just so happens to be way better than the original. But this shouldn’t go as a surprise. I have to admit that I didn’t really care for SpaghettiOs. I found them to be too sweet for pasta. And that’s saying a lot as I had awful taste buds as a kid!
Like with a lot of things that I tend to veganize, the original idea is great, but their execution is terrible! That’s why you see so many fast food expectation vs. reality comparisons. Well the good news is this is a grown up version that you and your kids (if you got any) will love!
We’re are going to make some vegan meatballs and a deliciously cheesy red sauce from scratch! I tell ya, it’s so dang good I couldn’t stop eating it as I was taking photos!
why you’ll dig vegan spaghettios
They’re…
- NOSTALGIC
- EASY AS PIE!
- BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL
- PERFECT FOR KIDS AND ADULTS
ingredients for vegan spaghettios
Best Pasta For Spaghettios
The iconic pasta shape is called Anellini, and it’s unfortunately not nearly as common as regular spaghetti. I’m lucky enough to have an Italian Market nearby that stocks it. You can also find it online as well!
That said, this would be great with any pasta shape! Obviously you’ll miss out on having the cute little pasta rings, but your mouth won’t mind if you just make it with some spaghetti pasta either!
Vegan Meatballs!
We are making some pretty traditional meatballs except we are using vegan meat of course! I recommend a mix of vegan beef and sausage if you can get it. But all beef is fine too. Aside from that we will be adding in the usual suspects. Add some red pepper flakes for a SPICY MEATBALL!
If you don’t want to use store-bought vegan meats, you can make some homemade VEGAN MEATBALLS!
You can also use cut up vegan hot dogs instead if you wanna go quick and easy style!
The cheesy sauce
For the Cheesy Red Sauce, we’re gonna start off with some traditional ingredients. A can of tomato puree, Italian seasonings, some crushed Calabrian chiles for heat if you like! But then to amp up the umami factor we’ll add in some nutritional yeast and mushroom seasoning. Though you could always use some tomato paste instead if you like.
how to make vegan spaghettios
Cook some garlic, then add in the sauce and everything else except the vegan cheddar shreds. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the vegan cheddar shreds and stir to melt. Taste for final seasoning, and then cover and keep warm on the lowest setting on your stove.
Make the meatballs by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing thoroughly.
Spoon out about 1/2 Tbsp (or more or less depending on how big you want your meatballs) and roll into a ball with your hands.
In a pan over medium heat with a bit of oil, brown your meatballs on at least two sides.
Add the meatballs to the pan with the cheesy red sauce and cover, simmer on low heat.
Once pasta is cooked slightly al dente, drain and add the pasta into the pan with the sauce and meatballs and stir to combine. Add pasta water to thin it out / make it creamier.
how saucy do you like it?
Now depending on how saucy you like your Vegan SpaghettiOs, you have a few options. First, you can add some of the pasta water to the sauce. This will thin it out a little, but also emulsify it and make it creamier. I personally like to add about 1 – 2 cups of the pasta water.
If you prefer it less saucy, you can simply add some more pasta and you’ll end up with more servings too! Below is how I like my SpaghettiOs, nice and saucy!
Versus the below, which uses more pasta. It really depends on what you like, but for me personally, I like it saucy. So the photo above is how I prefer it. But, like I said, if you want less sauce, just add about 4 oz. more dry pasta (so about 1 pound) and you should be good!
storage
These are best fresh, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave. You may need to add some water to loosen and thin it out.
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Vegan Spaghettios
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz Anellini Pasta
Cheesy Red Sauce
- 1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp mushroom seasoning
- 2 tsp crushed Calabrian chiles optional for heat
- 1 Tbsp sugar if needed
- 8 oz. shredded vegan cheddar cheese
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Meatballs
- 8 oz. vegan ground beef
- 8 oz. vegan ground sausage
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes to taste for some heat
Instructions
Cheesy Red Sauce
- Add the olive oil to a preheated pan over medium heat. Add in in the garlic, stir and cook for one minute, careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add in the sauce and everything else except the vegan cheddar shreds. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning, keeping in mind the cheddar will add salt, as well as the pasta water if you plan on using it.
- Add in the vegan cheddar shreds and stir to melt. Taste for final seasoning, and then cover and keep warm on the lowest setting on your stove.
Meatballs
- Make the meatballs by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing thoroughly.
- Spoon out about 1/2 Tbsp (or more or less depending on how big you want your meatballs) and roll into a ball with your hands. Keeping your hands slightly wet will help if the meat mixture is sticking.
- In a pan over medium heat with a bit of oil, brown your meatballs on at least two sides.
- Add the meatballs to the pan with the cheesy red sauce and cover, simmer on low heat.
Pasta
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. I recommend salting the pasta water! Use 12 ounces if you like your SpaghettiOs saucy. Use 4 – 8 oz more if you like it less saucy.
- Once pasta is cooked slightly al dente, drain and reserve pasta water if using. Then add the pasta into the pan with the sauce and meatballs and stir to combine. Add pasta water to thin it out / make it creamier. Once everything is tasting and feeling good to you, plate it up! Add some chopped parsley or basil, some vegan parmesan and enjoy!
Hello! Made this tonight with spaghetti noodles and enjoyed. The only issue was it was unclear how long to let the meatballs simmer in the sauce after browning on each side, since it didn’t say in the recipe. I wanted to make sure it was safe to eat, cooked through. Thoughts? Thanks.
Hi, if you just simmer while the pasta cooks (or even just 5 – 10 minutes) it will be fine. They are so small they should get cooked through if you just brown them on both sides.