Meatless Meatballs and Pantry Red Sauce
This Spaghetti and Meatless Meatballs recipe includes a semi-homemade Pantry Red Sauce that's so simple, children of all ages can hop into the kitchen to help make dinner.
Servings: 4
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.