Vegetarian Spaghetti

Spaghetti is perhaps the ultimate comfort food: It’s warm, it’s wonderful and it doesn’t take a lot of time to cook. It’s also quite easy to whip up a spaghetti meal, complete with extra protein or veggies for more nutrition. Our vegetarian spaghetti hits all the right notes when it comes to deliciousness, and the garbanzo beans in the dish provide plenty of protein too. The meat lovers at your table may not even notice that this dish is completely meat-free.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Spaghetti

• Spaghetti: Spaghetti is the bulk of this dish, but if you don’t have a full box of it, linguine will work just as well.
• Onion and celery: Chopped onions and celery provide the crunch in this sauce.
• Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds delicious garlic flavor to the pasta sauce.
• Canola oil: Canola oil has a neutral flavor, which makes it a good choice for sauteing the vegetables in this dish.
• Meatless spaghetti sauce: Look for a large jar of vegetarian spaghetti sauce. If a sauce has no meat, that’s usually clearly marked on the label. Many vegetarian varieties have tasty additions such as garlic or basil, or bits of mushroom.
• Garbanzo beans or chickpeas: Rinse and drain the canned garbanzo beans before adding them to this dish. Besides protein, they’re also an excellent source of manganese, folate, zinc and iron, plus loads of other nutrients.
• Diced tomatoes: Look for a canned variety of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, as these additions will provide that much more flavor to the dish.
• Seasonings: Sugar, salt, oregano and a bay leaf season the pasta sauce so it tastes even more like homemade.
• Parmesan cheese: Choose a grated version of Parmesan cheese, or grate your own cheese.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the spaghetti

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.

Step 2: Start the sauce

Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and garlic powder in the canola oil until the veggies are tender. Add the spaghetti sauce, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, sugar, salt, oregano and the bay leaf.

Step 3: Finish the sauce and serve

Bring the sauce to a boil, then cover it and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Drain the spaghetti, then top it with the sauce and Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Variations

• Add mushrooms: Sliced mushrooms make the spaghetti sauce even more filling, and they also make a nice substitute for meat in the sauce. Use an 8-ounce package for this recipe. What type of mushrooms? Small mushrooms such as button or baby portobello cut in half are a nice addition.
• Toss in some spinach: Baby spinach leaves are a colorful and nutritious add-in. Spinach is rich in vitamins C and E, plus potassium, iron and magnesium. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup spinach leaves about halfway through the sauce’s simmering time.
• Add diced or sliced garlic: In addition to the garlic powder, add a few cloves of diced or sliced garlic for lovely bites of garlic flavor when chewing the pasta. If you love garlic, feel free to include even more! Add the garlic as you’re sauteing the celery and onion.
• Make it with bell peppers: Slice half a red or green bell pepper to add to the pan as you saute the onion and celery. Bell peppers provide vitamins A and C, as well as potassium, fiber and folic acid.

How to Store Vegetarian Spaghetti

When the pasta cools, transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator, where it will last for three to four days. The pasta without sauce may last up to a day longer, while the sauce lasts three to four days, so there’s no real advantage to storing them separately.

Can you make vegetarian spaghetti ahead of time?

Absolutely! Prepare the sauce and the pasta in advance (storing them in the fridge if it’s going to be hours before serving), then heat up the sauce in a pan when it’s close to serving time. Put the pasta in hot water for a minute or two, then drain it and add the sauce. It will be hot and delicious, as if you just made it.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Tips

Is this vegetarian spaghetti recipe also vegan?

The main part of the recipe is vegan, but the Parmesan cheese is not. To make the dish vegan-friendly, either omit the Parmesan cheese entirely, or use a vegan version of Parmesan. The world of vegan cheese keeps improving, so there are many tasty options in larger grocery stores.

Could I make this without the chickpeas?

You sure can. The chickpeas make this a heartier dish, but if you don’t care for them, feel free to load the dish with mushrooms and veggies.

How can I add meatballs and keep the dish vegetarian?

Much like veggie versions of hamburgers, it’s fairly easy to find vegetarian and vegan meatballs at the supermarket. Or better yet, make them yourself with our vegan meatball recipe. That way, you’ll have more control over the seasonings and the size of the meatballs.