Classic Vegetarian Spaghetti

This vegetarian spaghetti sauce recipe is easy to make and tastes incredible! Everyone’s favorite comfort food just got tastier.

Want to whip up a pot of killer spaghetti sauce that happens to be…plant-packed? We’re going back to basics with this Vegetarian Spaghetti Recipe! It’s full of Italian-grandmother style flavor with only 8 ingredients. There are a couple flavor secrets we’ve been sitting on over here, so we thought it was time to share. You can make this as a vegetarian spaghetti sauce using plant-based crumbles, but you can sub in ground beef if you’re cooking for meat eaters. Either way, you won’t want the pot to end! Here’s how to make an extremely tasty homemade vegetarian spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients in vegetarian spaghetti sauce

This healthy vegetarian spaghetti sauce is incredibly simple: we’ve pared down the ingredients to the absolute essentials. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Garlic
• Butter (or olive oil for vegan)
• Crushed fire roasted tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Dried basil
• Dried tarragon
• Salt
• Frozen veggie crumbles

Let’s talk through a few of the important ingredient choices.

Tip: use high quality canned tomatoes

Here’s a tip that’s probably common sense, but we’ll say it anyway. High quality canned tomatoes make the most delicious vegetarian spaghetti sauce. There really is a difference between store brand and good quality tomatoes. Here are a few tips:

• Use canned fire roasted tomatoes if you can find them. Fire roasted tomatoes are roasted on an open flame, which gives them a sweeter, more developed flavor out of the can. If you can’t find them, use the best quality tomatoes you can find.
• Crushed tomato texture varies based on brand. We love the texture of the crushed fire roasted Muir Glen brand, but there is a lot of variation out there. Experiment to find a brand you love!

The flavor maker in vegetarian spaghetti: dried tarragon!

The other flavor secret to this vegetarian spaghetti sauce: dried tarragon! For years we avoided using tarragon, but now we’re 100% sold. It might not be in your spice cabinet, but here’s why to add it!

• Tarragon is an herb often used in French cooking, but it’s also used in other Mediterranean and European cuisines. The fresh herb has a subtle anise or licorice undertone, like fennel. 
• The flavor that tarragon adds to sauces is otherworldly. Add a little dried tarragon to this spaghetti sauce, and everyone will ask what you added. It’s like a little secret weapon in your spice drawer!
• Don’t have it? Use oregano. It’s not nearly as intriguing, but a good substitute for dried tarragon is dried oregano.

On using frozen veggie crumbles

In the past we haven’t felt comfortable using frozen plant based crumbles in our recipes as a vegan meat substitute. But things have changed! These days there are much less processed food versions that come closer to the flavor and texture of meat. They’re great in something like a vegetarian spaghetti sauce where it’s hard to replicate the experience of meat. Here are a few things to be aware of when buying them at the store:

• Look for a short ingredient list and whole food ingredients. The ingredient list should be relatively short and contain foods that you know. Of course, there will be some ingredients used as binders to hold it all together.
• Consider dietary restrictions. Many vegan meat substitutes have wheat gluten as a top ingredient: we prefer our “protein” to be mostly made up of protein. Some types of this product also contain egg, so check the ingredients on each brand you try.
• Experiment for texture. Of the brands we’ve tried, we liked Beyond Meat crumbles best: they’re made of protein and have a meat-like texture. Experiment to find a brand you love!

Notes on using ground beef

If you want to change up this vegetarian pasta and use ground beef in this sauce, you can do that too! Here at A Couple Cooks we eat a mostly Mediterranean style diet, so we opt for the veggie-based options typically. For the meaty option, make sure to cook and drain the ground beef prior to adding it into the sauce. You can use 1 pound for this recipe.

Ways to use vegetarian spaghetti spaghetti sauce

There are so many ways to use this vegetarian spaghetti sauce…outside of just noodles! Here are a few recipes that you might enjoy:

• Spaghetti with garlic bread. Add noodles and serve with Easy Garlic Bread or quick and easy Garlic Toast.
• Lasagna. Try it in place of the sauce in Perfect Zucchini Lasagna or Spaghetti Squash Lasagna.
• Pasta bake. Use it in cozy, cheesy Baked Rigatoni Pasta.
• Roasted vegetable pasta. Add it to Roasted Eggplant Pasta.
• Eggplant Parmesan. Try it in Baked Eggplant Parmesan.

This vegetarian spaghetti sauce recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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More recipes with a can of tomatoes

Canned tomatoes make the best Italian style recipes! Here are a few more canned tomato recipes:

• Whip up cozy and delicious Italian Chickpea Soup
• Make a pot of Quick Chili
• Make our famous pizza sauce for cheesy Burrata Pizza
• Simmer a pot of Best Ever Lentil Soup
• Throw together quick and simple Easy Chickpea Curry
• Go for comfort with Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta