Spaghetti-Nos With Mini Meatballs (Vegan Spaghettios)

Serves 8 to 10

Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 1 hour 15 minutes (Maybe longer the first time you make it)

These vegan spaghettios will heal your inner child. Or feed your actual child. It’s the ultimate spaghettios copycat recipe with little rings of pasta swimming in a sweet, cheesy tomato sauce and mini lentil meatballs that are chewy, savory, and completely addictive. It is can-to-table cooking without the can. This recipe has been on PPK since 2011 and it has a whole origin story. Read on, or hit jump to recipe if you just need these vegan spaghettios in your life right now.

The Vegan Spaghettios Backstory

My palate has a great memory. If it’s something like my mom’s birthday or paying rent I’m guaranteed to forget, but a slice of pizza I had during the Clinton administration will linger forever. And so it is with Spaghetti-os and our sordid history. Children, cover your eyes, this recipe will reveal quite a few things:

As a 14 year old goth in the age before cellphones, my friends and I would do that thing of staying up all night being idiots, hanging out on the beach or at the park or whatever (I swear it was mostly innocent.) Since we told our moms we were sleeping at each other’s houses, we couldn’t really go home until the sun came up. So we’d go the corner store and pop a couple of Spaghetti-O cans for breakfast, thanks to that easy pull-off lid. We’d pretty much sit on the street, black eyeliner streaming down our faces, ripped fishnets ripping even more, getting Spaghetti-o sauce all over our Salvation Army velvet dresses while we waited for the sun to rise. And, seriously, for shame, those Spaghetti-Os were good.

Sort of mushy rings of pasta swimming in a sweet, cheesy tomato sauce. And don’t forget the meatballs! Chewy orbs that made you want to keep biting into them, even though you didn’t exactly know why, it could have been magic or MSG. I had two basic strategies for extending their little meatball lives — slicing them in half or saving them for the end. You totally won if your last bite was a meatball.

Well, sometimes my palate hits me with a strange craving, and I don’t know if Sisters Of Mercy popped up on VH1 classics or what, but I had a nagging for vegan Spaghetti-os. And that’s how this spaghettio copycat recipe was born. 

Vegan Spaghettios: Behind The Recipe

The first order of business was finding O-shaped pasta, which brought me to the Wikipedia list of pastas and eventually to the internet where I purchased three bags of Anellini. I think there’s a lot more pasta variety on US supermarket shelves now, so hopefully you can find them at your supermarket or a well stocked specialty store.

For the meatballs, I chose lentil meatballs. And because I wanted mushy, but not TOO mushy, I added a little vital wheat gluten. To make them addictive, some seasoned breadcrumbs and, since it’s like catnip for vegans, a touch of nutritional yeast.

The lentils ended up being the perfect choice for the chewy texture I wanted and their naturally meaty quality made for excellent meatballs. I really think kids of all ages will dig this spaghettios copycat. What kid won’t want to eat something called Spaghetti-Nos? 

And I know nobody likes a bragger, but I’m pretty sure these vegan spaghettios taste better than their inspiration. Maybe I didn’t run outside and sit on the sidewalk to eat them, but I did wear a lot of black eyeshadow that evening. Coincidence?

The Cheesy Tomato Sauce

This is what makes this spaghettios copycat recipe go above and beyond. Brown sugar caramelizes with the onions for that signature sweetness, and soaked cashews blended in give it a velvety, cheesy texture. Nutritional yeast adds the savory depth. A little garlic, a little oregano. Mwah. Chef-Boyardee’s kiss. It comes together in under 30 minutes and tastes like the stuff from the can won a Michelin star.

Use crushed tomatoes with basil if you can find them, they give the sauce another dimension of sweetness. If you can only find plain crushed tomatoes, add a pinch of dried basil.

If you start cooking the sauce first, then the meatballs while the sauce simmers, everything is done within an hour.

The Lentil Meatballs

Green or brown lentils are what you want here, cooked until very tender. Red lentils are too soft and won’t hold together, french lentils are too firm. A 15-oz can of lentils works absolutely perfectly, so grab a can for convenience. 

A little vital wheat gluten gives these vegan lentil meatballs their chew, seasoned breadcrumbs add texture and flavor, and nutritional yeast, once again, adds a cheesy, parmesan backdrop. They get pan-fried first for a browned exterior and then finished in the oven so they hold up when tossed in the sauce.

Store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs are ideal here. Whole Foods brand has a vegan one, and Edward & Sons is vegan.  If you can’t find seasoned, no biggie, add a pinch each of basil, oregano, and thyme to plain breadcrumbs. Panko works if that’s what you have. Just pulse them in the food processor into fine crumbs first. 

This recipe does make a lot of mini-meatballs, 32 to be exact, so half the meatballs if you just don’t have time for that. The rolling does take a bit of time and you need to brown them in batches. 

Ok, now, make a big batch, put on some black eyeliner, eat with family or friends, and scoop them into a little can to feel the full effect.

VEGAN SPAGHETTIOS FAQ

Can I use a different pasta in this vegan spaghettios copycat recipe? For sure. If you can’t find them, small shells, wagon wheels, or any small pasta works too. Several people in the comments have used alphabet pasta and that’s a great idea. 

Can I make the meatballs ahead? Oh, for sure. Make and bake the vegan lentil meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Add them to the sauce when ready to serve.

Can I use a different bean? Yeah. People in the comments had success with pinto beans. I, myself, have not tried it, but it makes sense. 

How did I end up here? Probably searching for vegan spaghettios, spaghettios copycat recipe, or vegan lentil meatballs. These vegan spaghettios have been a PPK staple since 2011 and they show up at every dinner table that needs a little nostalgia.

More Vegan Meatball Recipes To Try

Tempeh Meatballs & Spaghetti

slurpy meatballs and spaghetti – full size and traditional

Recipe

Swedish Tofu Meatballs

savory tofu meatballs in a creamy porcini cashew gravy

Recipe

Tofu Balls

the first vegan meatballs I ever made and a Moskowitz family tradition

Recipe

Spaghetti-Nos With Mini Lentil Meatballs

A vegan spaghettios copycat recipe with mini lentil meatballs in a sweet, cheesy cashew tomato sauce. Better than the can and a well-loved recipe for your inner child or actual child.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Pasta

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Cheesy Tomato Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• Fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 24 oz cans crushed tomatoes with basil
• 1/4 cup cashews soaked in water for at least 1 hour, drained
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the Mini Lentil Meatballs:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small onion peeled
• 1 1/2 cups cooked green or brown lentils rinsed and drained (a 15 oz can works perfectly)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup seasoned store-bought breadcrumbs

For everything else:

• 1 lb anellini pasta or any small pasta
• Olive oil for pan frying

Instructions

 

• Boil a big pot of salted water for the pasta, meanwhile prepare everything else.

Make the sauce:

• Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Mix in the black pepper, oregano, salt, and brown sugar and cook for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted. Add the crushed tomatoes, cashews, and nutritional yeast, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Let the sauce cool slightly, then purée in batches in a blender until smooth, adding each batch back to the pot. Lift the lid carefully between pulses to let steam escape. Once smooth, keep warm over low heat.

Make the mini meatballs:

• Fit your food processor with the metal S blade. Add the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the onion and pulse until minced — no big pieces or they will affect the texture of the meatball. Transfer the onion and garlic to a mixing bowl with a spatula.
• Add the lentils, nutritional yeast, vital wheat gluten, soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, and water to the food processor. Pulse to combine, then purée until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add this mixture to the bowl with the onion and garlic. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well with your hands for about 2 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Roll the mixture into cherry-sized balls — you should get about 32. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add a thin layer of olive oil. Pan fry in two batches, tilting the pan so the meatballs roll around and brown evenly, no more than 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a baking pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so they cook evenly.

Boil pasta and assemble:

• Boil the pasta while the meatballs bake. Drain and add to the sauce. When the meatballs are ready, add them to the pot as well. If the sauce has cooled, warm everything together over low heat for a few minutes. Toss carefully with a wooden spoon, taking care not to break the meatballs, and serve.

Keyword vegan spaghettios copycat, lentil meatballs, vegan lentil meatballs, spaghettios copycat recipe, vegan pasta with meatballs, homemade spaghettios

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