Spaghetti & Vegballs: Simmer & Serve Easy One-Pot Magic

Simmer & Serve Spaghetti & Vegballs features juicy, tender whole food vegan meatballs that are bursting with flavor, all slathered in a rich tomato sauce over a bed of perfectly al dente slurpable spaghetti noodles.

If you are looking for a simple and satisfying one-pot dinner with minimal effort for maximum payoff? Then the Simmer & Serve Spaghetti & Vegballs might be just what you’re looking for!

Recipe Overview – Simmer & Server Spaghetti & Vegballs

Never Miss A Thing!

Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter on Substack!

Allergies & Dietary Restriction Friendly

As usual, all the recipes are allergy-friendly and Top 8/9 Allergy Free:
no dairy, no eggs, no wheat, no gluten, no nuts, no tree nuts, no shellfish, no seafood, no soy, no added salt added, no added oil, no added sugars, no coconut. (All recipes are also vegan unless that wasn’t obvious).
Using only minimally processed and healing foods, from scratch.

Why So Restrictive?

All of the recipes I design are made to be accessible to as many people as possible. Many people have food allergies (220 million worldwide) or dietary restrictions (17.1% of U.S. adults). And many more people (1.7 billion worldwide) are also currently suffering from non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many others which are responsible for 74% of all deaths.

So these recipes are all made to heal, especially those who already need of healing, and don’t add more than the minimum to get the most flavor. One of the most important rules of cooking is that it’s always easier to add an ingredient to a dish than to remove one that you’ve already added.

Why Dry Spices and Powdered Ingredients?

With accessibility comes cost and availability. I wanted to design the items so even low-income or people living in food deserts can still eat healthy healing meals so I’ve used the most affordable, common, and convenient ingredients I can find in my area, but feel free to use fresh, frozen, or whatever works for you—most scientific studies are done with powdered/dehydrated foods since they can fit in a pill; so any kind of veggie, fruit, or herb is better than nothing. Try the conversion for common dry/fresh ingredients tables if you’re using different from what’s written in the recipe.

Short Recipe Video – Simmer & Server Spaghetti & Vegballs

The Menu for Simmer & Server Spaghetti & Vegballs

Are you looking for some non-alcoholic WFPB Beverages for holiday cheer?
❄️❄️🌱
Looking for some of the most recent dinner recipes?

• Unstuffed Peppers Casserole – Easy One Pot Stovetop Recipe
• Jalapeño Ched Cornbread: Your New Favorite Stovetop Cornbread For Dunking
• Easy Creamy Tomato Basil Soup: Boil & Blend for a Tasty, Satisfying Brunch
• Boil & Blend Taco Soup: Your New Go-To Tuesday Recipe!
• Low-GI Simmer & Serve Scalloped Potatoes on the Stovetop

How about dessert?

• Indulge in Dark Cherry Clafoutis: Quick and Easy One-Pot Dessert
• Sunbutter Raisin Cookie Drops – Simple & Tasty
• Savory Stovetop Cornbread: Comfort Food Made Simple!
• Cinnamon Apple-Raisin Rolls: Fast and Full of Festive Flavor
• Stovetop Banana Cream Hand Pies & Cookies with a Graham Crust

Detailed Directions for Simmer & Server Spaghetti & Vegballs

Note: If you’re not using a spice grinder or blender then you will need oat flour, ground spices, and pre-cooked, well drained, lentils instead of dry.

Jump to Recipe Card

1. Grind/blend your vegball lentils, oat, and chia/flax then mix together all vegball ingredients with a spoon until the consistency it’s similar to a dough or putty.
2. Add your sauce ingredients to a pot, and put on high heat.
3. Using a measuring spoon or a small ice cream scoop to form the vegballs by pressing the scoop against the side of the dish (they will seem flat on one side, this is good we don’t want to loose a poor vegball onto the floor). Drop the vegballs into the sauce either all at once, or one-by-one using a spoon to help remove the vegball from the scoop, if needed.
4. When the sauce boils add and submerge your noodles, you can break them or slowly push them into the pot making sure the noodles are coated in sauces and mostly submerged (covering with a lid for a few minutes helps steam/soften them without breaking) turn the heat to low, stir, cover with a lid, and simmer for 8-15 minutes or until your pasta is done. (See pro tips for more on submerging the noodles without breaking them).
5. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and plate your spaghetti with not-parm or other wfpb cheese and fresh herbs like basil or parley..

Why This Recipe for Simmer & Serve Spaghetti & Vegballs?

Spaghetti and meatballs is a dish almost everyone loved as a kid, and I was no exception. Tender meatballs in a rich and almost sweet tomato sauce with long slurping noodles and mounds of grated cheese. What kid could resist?

But as good as that all sounds, it’s all so terribly unhealthy as well as time consuming to make. Plus who has time to spend all day rolling balls or meat (or whatever)?

This simmer & server recipe fixes all the problems by using healthy healing whole food plant based vegan and sos-free science-based healthy ingredients. It’s also as simple and as easy as spaghetti and vegballs, meatballs, or any kind of balls, can get. No rolling, no baking, no draining or straining, and easy clean up when it’s all over: a bowl, a spoon/scoop, and a pot.

Have ideas for recipes or feedback? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on substack or Instagram!

Blending Without a Spice/Coffee Grinder

You can use any type of blender, just blend/pulse everything for the vegballs until fairly smooth, and then follow the regular directions.

If you want you can try to use your stick blender to blend the dry vegball oats and lentils, like in the video below, but I recommend just blending them with liquid and your stick blender, or other blender or food processor, if you don’t have a spice/coffee grinder.

🌟The Full Simmer & Serve Spaghetti & Vegballs Recipe🌟

Spaghetti & Vegballs

Chef Rob

A quick one-pot simmer & serve spaghetti with delicious not-meat balls. Minimal effort (no ball rolling) and maximum flavor in this high protein high fiber powerhouse.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Comfort Food, Dinner, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 168.5 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Pot
• 1 Spice / Coffee Grinder (or other type of blender or food processor)
• 1 Ice Cream Scoop or Measuring Spoon (or any deep bowled spoon)

Ingredients

  

Vegballs (WFPB Vegan Meatballs)

• ¼ cup lentils
• 2 tbsp oats
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp chia (or flax)
• 1 tsp oregano dry
• ¼ tsp basil dry
• ⅛ tsp thyme dry, or Italian seasoning
• ⅛ tsp mustard powder optional
• ½ tbsp seed butter
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup water

Spaghetti Sauce (Tomato Sauce)

• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• ½ cup tomato paste
• ½ tbsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups of water
• ¼ pack spaghetti noodles brown rice, lentil, or whatever works for you

Instructions

 

• Grind/blend your vegball lentils, oat, and chia/flax then mix together all vegball ingredients with a spoon until the consistency it’s similar to a dough or putty.
  
• Add your sauce ingredients to a pot, and put on high heat.
  
• Using a measuring spoon (tbsp) or a small ice cream scoop to form the vegballs by pressing the scoop against the side of the dish (they will seem flat on one side, this is good we don't want to loose a poor vegball onto the floor). Drop the vegballs into the sauce either all at once, or one-by-one using a spoon to help remove the vegball from the scoop, if needed.
  
• When the sauce boils add and submerge your noodles, you can break them or slowly push them into the pot making sure the noodles are coated in sauce and mostly submerged (covering the pot with a lid for a few minutes helps steam/soften them without breaking) turn the heat to low, stir, cover with a lid (leave a small opening gap if there's no steam vent), and simmer for 8-15 minutes or until your pasta is done.

  (See pro tips for more on submerging the noodles without breaking them).
  
• Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and plate your spaghetti with not-parm or other wfpb cheese and fresh herbs like basil or parley..
  

Video

Keyword affordable vegan recipes, cheap vegan recipes, corn free, dairy free, meat free vegan, no gluten free, no nuts free, no oil free, no sesame-free, no shellfish free, no treenuts free, pasta, pasta sauce, simmer & serve recipe, sos-free, soy tofu free, top 8 allergy free, top 9 allergen free, wheat free

⭐Cheesy Not Parm Powder Full Recipe⭐

Print Recipe

Cheesy Not Parm Powder

This “cheese” powder is great on salads or pasta as a Parmesan substitute, or directly in cheese like sauces to create that thick gooey lip-smacking goodness that you get in a heavy cheesey sauce.

Prep Time1 minute min

Total Time1 minute min

Course: Garnish, Topping

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Italian

Keyword: cheap vegan recipes, corn free, dairy free, easy recipe, healthy, homecooking, homemade, instant no cooking, no added salt, no added sugar, no added sugars, no bake, no coconut, no gluten free, no nuts free, no oil, no shellfish free, no sos, no soy, no treenuts free, nomad recipes, plant-based, quick recipes done fast, scratch, soy tofu free, top 8 allergy free, top 9 allergen free, vanlife, vegan, vegan cheese substitute, vegan pizza, wfpb, wfpb cheese, wfpbno, wheat free, whole food plant based

Servings: 1 people

Author: Chef Rob

Equipment

• 1 Spice / Coffee Grinder

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp raw hulled pumpkin seeds raw hulled sunflower seeds work too
• 1 tbsp raw flax seeds
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
• ⅛ tsp onion powder optional

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a spice/coffee grinder or blender/food-processor, or pestle and mortar and grind into a semi-fine powder (I leave it a bit coarse as the pumpkin seed bits add a similar granular texture and bit of a good parmigiano reggiano.)

  Use or store for later.
  

🧂If you absolutely must add salt or sugar then try to add them to taste, to the top of the food, so you use less, and add in small amounts and only after tasting before adding any more. The same goes for other “less healthy” additions, but the idea should be to try to limit and eventually remove adding them, over time, when you are ready. (Use a finer ground salt as it will taste saltier.)

After a few weeks of not eating a SAD diet your tastebuds reset and you’ll notice and be surprised by the natural sugars and sodium in foods, check out the great article, and subscribe to, Michael Corthell on Substack.

If you get value from my recipes and writings then please consider buying me a coffee. Thank you!

💡Protips💡

How To Not Break Spaghetti?

Hold the bundle of spaghetti together and give it a light twist (see the recipe video above) and let go from the center of the pot. If this doesn’t go as planned then try your best to fan the dry noodles out around the pot.

• Placing the lid on the pot (even if noodles are poking out from under it) for about 2 minutes with steam the noodles slightly and make them easier to submerge with a fork or spoon.
• Try to make sure they aren’t all clumped together and if they are but still hard then cover and wait a minute or two, until they are softer, and give them a good stir before simmering.

Using Canned or Cooked Lentils (AKA no blender/grinder)

Using any kind of pre-cooked lentils you will want to remove all the liquid and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

• Don’t add the additional water from the vegballs ingredients unless the mixture is very dry and won’t form.
• If the mixture is too wet then the vegballs will break apart in the sauce—which is still tasty, but more like a bolognese than vegballs. Try more oat flour or flax.

Making Vegballs

For quick and easy vegballs use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon for bite sized vegballs, or 1 teaspoon for mini vegballs. See the video for how I use a spoon to quickly pry each vegball out of the measuring spoon.

• Press the spoon against the side of the bowl to pack the vegball into the spoon so it stays together.
• Use a spoon to help remove the ball from the measuring spoon
• Or use an ice cream scoop and just press the release lever to eject the vegball into the sauce.

It’s Too Saucey!

You can try one or all of the following if you have way more sauce than noodles:

• Add most of the sauce to a smaller pot (without the noodles or vegballs) and cook it on high heat until it reduces, then add it back to the main pot.
• Simmer longer, without a lid, until the sauce reduces and thickens (warning the noodles could over cook and the vegballs could become very firm/soft and even start breaking apart).
• Add more tomato paste to thicken the sauce.
• Add veggies to soak up the extra sauce.
• Cook extra noodles in a separate pot and then strain, rinse, and add them to the sauce.

Make It Fresh

Substitute the dry oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, and onion powder for fresh. Just mince them all very finely. You can check out the Fresh Dried & Ground Ingredient Equivalents Made Easy to more easily convert dried to fresh or vise versa. I would omit the added water from the vegballs since the fresh herbs will make them more moist.

Substitutes

Lentils

No other dried legume or bean will work here other than lentil or (split) peas. It’s also potentially dangerious to try with other beans like kidney etc. (remember Breaking Bad and ricen, yeah, kind of like that). Although you could also try cereals and grains like rice, quinoa, etc.

• Dried yellow split peas will work, but they will be more like chicken balls then meatballs.
• Cooked beans will work but they will not be as firm and more likely to fall apart during cooking. Dried beans are dangerious and cautioned agianst.
• Grains like rice or quinoa will work, but they could become gummy or mushy if cooked too long.

Spices/Herbs

You can also just use an italian spice blend instead of the basil, parsley, and oregano if that’s all you have.

Oats

• You can use any flour you like here, I use gluten-free oats because they are healthy and cheap, but whole wheat or even (brown) rice flour would work to help bind the vegballs together.

Blenders, Food Processors, and Immersion Blenders

If you have (oat) flour, ground spices, and cooked lentils then you don’t need a grinder, blender, or food processor—see above. Otherwise, simply blend the vegballs ingredients and otherwise follow the recipe. You may have to double the vegballs recipe if it won’t blend. You can also add more water to the vegballs and they will become more moist and juicy, up to a point.

Nutrition Facts Table – Simmer & Serve Spaghetti & Vegballs

The Science – Sources

Please tell me how it turned out! Did you: try it, like it, hate it, change it, or do something else unexpected???

If I’ve made any mistakes, or something doesn’t make sense, or if you want more/less details, please let me know in the comments below or on substack.

Stay healthy and nourished! Happy cooking!🎁

Chef Robert Leigh

Spaghetti & Vegballs: Simmer & Serve Easy One-Pot Magic