Spaghetti and Meatless Meatballs
Jun 19, 2021, Updated Apr 17, 2025
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Father’s Day meal planning is made easy with this Spaghetti and Meatless Meatballs recipe. A semi-homemade Pantry Red Sauce is so simple, children of all ages can hop in the kitchen to make dinner for dad this weekend.
The red sauce is a delightful alternative to the store-bought jarred sauce, and it uses many ingredients already found in most kitchen cupboards. Aside from Father’s Day, this is a great meal for meatless Monday or any night of the week.
Serving Tips for Meatless Meatballs
Start with a Salad: This recipe is a meal on its own, but it pairs well with a cucumber, tomato and feta salad or any green salad.
Swap Out the Pasta: If you don’t want to use the recommended spaghetti or linguine for this dish, you can use your favorite pasta or gluten-free pasta shape. Alternatively, add more vegetables by using spiralized zucchini or sweet potato noodles.
Make it a Sandwich: Toast a hoagie bun and add your meatless meatballs and sauce to the center. For an extra bit of flair, top it with fresh mozzarella and toast the sandwich under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Meatless Meatballs and Pantry Red Sauce
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 16 ounces meatless ground, (like Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger)
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup minced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley, or 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Pantry Red Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, San Marzano style preferred
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, San Marzano style preferred
- 12 ounce jar fire-roasted red bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons, plus more for garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
For pasta and serving
- 16 ounce package dried pasta, spaghetti or linguine works well
- Fresh parmesan, shredded (optional) for garnish
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the firs 8 meatball ingredients to a large bowl (reserving the 2 tablespoons olive oil). Mix until well combined.
- Roll mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a large baking sheet that has been drizzled with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Should yield 16 to 18 meatballs.
- Place in the oven and roast for 12 minutes, until the meatballs start to form a crispy crust. Carefully remove from the oven, and add meatballs into red sauce to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve atop your favorite prepared pasta.
For the Pantry Red Sauce
- Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Once heated, add 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add diced onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, careful not to burn.
- To the pot, add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, and reduce heat to medium.
- Drain liquid from the red bell peppers, and slice into thin strips. Add to the pot with the other ingredients, along with 2 tablespoons tomato paste, fresh basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using).
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and let cook for about 15 minutes.
- Carefully pour ingredients into the jar of a blender and pulse until mostly smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender and pulse in the pot, until sauce becomes the desired consistency.
- Add meatless meatballs to the sauce at this point, or continue cooking until sauce has thickened, at least 10 more minutes.
For pasta and serving
- While sauce is cooking, prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Serve sauce and meatballs on a bed of prepared sauce. Garnish with shredded parmesan and ribbons of fresh basil, as desired.
- Bring leftover sauce to room temperature and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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