Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs

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This homemade spaghetti and vegan meatballs is oh-so comparable to the real thing and a sure knock-out-of-the-park for the people at your dinner table. With a softer bite then actual meatballs, these tempeh-filled meaties are still packed with flavor and deliciousness. Your guests might even put you on their shoulders and start singing, “For she’s a jolly good lady…” And even if they don’t, I bet you that they are thinking about doing it…

Spaghetti & Vegan Meatballs - Fork & Beans

It’s definitely one of my favorite meals to eat and I love how similar these tempeh balls are to the real thing. They taste really good the next day, in fact, they might even taste better than straight from the pan! Which, if you can find a recipe that can tout that then you know you are in for a good meal.

 

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Spaghetti and Vegan Meatballs

  • Author: Fork & Beans
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 10-12 tempeh balls 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz. tempeh
  • 3/4 c. gluten-free breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 c. onion, thinly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp. warm water
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, thinly chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
  • ½ tsp. sea salt

Other ingredients:

  • Jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
  • cooked gluten-free pasta for 4

Instructions

  1. Heat enough oil to fully coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet on medium heat.
  2. In a food processor, mix all the ingredients together with the exception of 1/4 c. of the breadcrumbs.
  3. Form into 1″ balls. Roll into remainder breadcrumbs until fully coated. Brown in skillet until all sides nicely browned. Do in batches if needed. Remove from the pan.
  4. On low heat, warm up the spaghetti sauce. Place the cooked noodles in to fully immerse into the sauce. Plate and top with meatballs.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 tempeh ball
  • Calories: 72
  • Sugar: 1.2g
  • Sodium: 120mg
  • Fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 7g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 5g

 

 

namastasty

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy

    Hi! These look amazing. I have a soy allergy and I’m wondering if you could suggest a substitute for tempeh that might work? Thank you!

  2. Danielle Weiss

    hello- going to make these in a bit tonight! I only have chia seeds. I heard that the ratios are different, you usually need a lot more flax than chia? How can I use chia instead for this recipe and will it change the wet/dry ratio?

    • Cara

      Hey Danielle, simply use the same ratios and you should be fine! If you find it too dry, just add a small amount of water until it’s where you want it to be. Enjoy!

      • Danielle

        Hey Cara,

        Thanks so much! Made them tonight. They were great. Made them with a chia egg and baked them at 375 for 10 minutes on each side. Only question I have, were yours a little on the mushy side internally? Mine stayed together great and were crispy on the outside but a bit too “untextured” and mushy on the inside. Maybe I blended everything too much? Any ideas? My boyfriend still liked them which is good, but they definitely could use some more texture. They had good flavor though

    • Cara

      You can definitely fine vegan versions of Worcestershire so if that is a concern, rest assured! If you still don’t want to use it, you can use soy sauce or just omit altogether.

  5. Cindy Ott

    OMG Thanks so much for this recipe! It was awesome! I didn’t add the spinach or the flaxseed because it’s just my husband & me & we get those 2 ingredients in other ways. But the flavor was so delicious.

  7. Erin

    These are so yummy! I served them with spaghetti squash to further the wildness. Thanks so much!

  8. Sarah Douglass

    Last night I made these for dinner and I LOVED them (so did my meat eating boyfriend). I added some nutritional yeast flakes to the coating and used soy sauce rather than worcestershier. I also tried to double the recipe but they ended up too mushy so I baked them in the oven which took out some of the moisture and they ended up PERFECT. Nom nom nom. Thank you for posting!

    • Cara

      I’m SO HAPPY that you liked them!! I should have come over to your place because I was actually craving them last night too (although I had made some the night before). I might just have to try the nutritional yeast coating–that sound so good! Nice work 🙂

  9. Shel

    This looks fantastic, I can’t wait to try it and see what the family says. I know my husband misses meatballs and this look like one of the best (and easiest) homemade options I’ve seen.

  10. Vivian Cutler

    14 Balls (LOL!!!!)
    (Makes 14 balls ←I feel weird writing that (probably because I am immature)…)
    I am with you on this…I teach Junior High!!!
    I never graduated junior high!!! Ha!!! Ha!!!
    I am immature also.
    AND I am so Happy to be!!!
    You might just be my twin!!!

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