Gluten Free
Vegan Spaghetti
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
45 minutes
Yield
4 -6
🍝 Craving spaghetti but keeping it plant-based? This vegan spaghetti recipe features a mind-blowing "meat" sauce made from walnuts and mushrooms that rivals the original! Ready in just an hour and packed with protein, it's comfort food that'll please everyone at your table.
So, I did a thing, and it turned out flipping fantastic. This “meat” sauce for vegan spaghetti will knock your socks off. I promise. It tastes better than the real deal, and I wish I were joking! Made with mushrooms and walnuts instead of traditional meat, this one-pot vegan spaghetti recipe uses real, accessible ingredients that will satisfy everyone at your table, regardless of dietary preferences.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Vegan Spaghetti
- Plant-Based: It has the consistency of a bolognese sauce but without any meat.
- Ultimate Comfort Food: It’s so hearty and comforting – who doesn’t love a big bowl of spaghetti
- Quick & Easy: This recipe is easy to make in just 1 hour.
- Good For You: The walnuts and mushrooms add protein and numerous health benefits.
🍲 Ingredients
Walnuts – The secret to creating the perfect “meaty” texture in this vegan spaghetti sauce. Beyond their rich flavor and satisfying crunch, walnuts are nutritional powerhouses – rich in antioxidants, plant-based omega-3s, and anti-inflammatory properties. They promote gut health, may help prevent disease, and can even help lower blood sugar.
Mushrooms – The second star of this vegan spaghetti recipe creates umami depth and perfect texture. Traditionally, vegan meat sauces use lentils, but mushrooms offer a digestible alternative packed with nutrition. They’re low in calories while providing fiber, protein, B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and copper – creating a satisfying sauce that will fill you up without weighing you down.
👩🍳 How to Make Vegan Spaghetti
1. Into a food processor place 1/2 of the mushrooms and process until finely ground. Remove mushrooms from the processor and repeat with the other 1/2 of mushrooms. See notes.
2. Into the food processor add your walnuts and process till finely ground. Transfer walnuts to the bowl with the mushrooms.
3. Into a large soup pot add your olive oil and heat on medium-high heat for around 20 seconds before adding your mushroom and walnut mixture. Cook for around 6-8 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has browned beautifully.
4. Into the same food processor add your onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Process till finely ground. See notes.
5. Remove the mushroom and walnut mixture from the pot and transfer to a bowl.
6. Into the same pot add your onion mixture and cook on medium heat for around 5-6 minutes, or until browned and fragrant. If the mixture starts to sticks to the bottom of the pot simply add a little water bit by bit to help loosen the browned parts. This is a flavour building step, so I highly suggest it if needed.
7. To the mixture add your chili flakes, cinnamon, clove, basil, parsley and bay leaf. Stir till well combined. Cook for around 1-2 more minutes.
8. Now, push the cooked onions mixture to the sides and makes room for the tomato paste. Cook on its own for a minute or so or until browned. Once browned stir the tomato paste into the onion mixture and transfer your walnut and mushrooms to the pot. See notes.
9. Stir till well combined, increase heat and add your passata and vegetable stock paste. Cook for around 5 minutes before adding your water and bringing mixture to a boil.
10. Put on your pot lid and simmer for around 25-30 minutes. See notes. Before serving taste for salt and pepper and add as needed.
11. Enjoy with your favorite pasta, garnished with parsley and a side of garlic toast!
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Processing: Don’t over-process mushrooms and walnuts – some texture is desirable.
- Vegetables: Aim for a pulp texture when processing carrots, celery, and onions.
- Flavor: Brown tomato paste for deeper flavor before combining with other ingredients.
- Simmering: The longer you simmer, the better the flavor develops.
🗒 Variations
Don’t have all of the ingredients in your kitchen? Try these variations:
- Pasta: Any pasta shape works well with this sauce, not just spaghetti. You can even use gluten-free pasta if you are avoiding gluten.
- Nuts: Pecans or a mix of nuts can replace walnuts if needed.
- Mushrooms: Any variety works – cremini, button, or portobello.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs can replace dried (use 3x the amount).
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
🤔 Common Questions
Most dried spaghetti and pasta varieties are vegan. Check the ingredient list to be sure it doesn’t contain eggs, which are more common in fresh pasta than dried.
Vegan spaghetti noodles are usually made from wheat flour and water, just like regular spaghetti noodles, as long as they don’t contain eggs (which most dried noodles don’t).
This recipe adds protein through walnuts and mushrooms processed into small pieces. Other options include vegan meat substitutes, beans, or legumes mixed into the sauce.
When processing, you want some larger chunks to remain – don’t over-process into a paste. This gives your “meat” sauce a desirable texture similar to ground meat.
Yes! This sauce freezes well for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed container, making it perfect for meal prep.
Vegan Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 4 servings spaghetti or pasta of choice
- 4-5 cups assorted mushrooms whole is fine as we will be processing them
- 1 heaping cup walnuts raw, whole
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion rough chop
- 2 celery stalks rough chop
- 3 medium-sized carrots rough chop
- 4 large cloves of garlic whole
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp cinnamon spice
- 1/2 tsp clove spice
- 2 tbsp. dry basil spice
- 1 tbsp. parsley spice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 680 ml bottle of passata – I used organic
- 2 tbsp. vegetable stock paste
- 2-3 cups boiling water
- season to taste
Instructions
- Into a food processor place 1/2 of the mushrooms and process until finely ground. Remove mushrooms from the processor and repeat with the other 1/2 of mushrooms. See notes.
- Into the food processor add your walnuts and process till finely ground. Transfer walnuts to the bowl with the mushrooms.
- Into a large soup pot add your olive oil and heat on medium-high heat for around 20 seconds before adding your mushroom and walnut mixture. Cook for around 6-8 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has browned beautifully.
- Into the same food processor add your onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Process till finely ground. See notes.
- Remove the mushroom and walnut mixture from the pot and transfer to a bowl.
- Into the same pot add your onion mixture and cook on medium heat for around 5-6 minutes, or until browned and fragrant. If the mixture starts to sticks to the bottom of the pot simply add a little water bit by bit to help loosen the browned parts. This is a flavour building step, so I highly suggest it if needed.
- To the mixture add your chili flakes, cinnamon, clove, basil, parsley and bay leaf. Stir till well combined. Cook for around 1-2 more minutes.
- Now, push the cooked onions mixture to the sides and makes room for the tomato paste. Cook on its own for a minute or so or until browned. Once browned stir the tomato paste into the onion mixture and transfer your walnut and mushrooms to the pot. See notes.
- Stir till well combined, increase heat and add your passata and vegetable stock paste. Cook for around 5 minutes before adding your water and bringing mixture to a boil.
- Put on your pot lid and simmer for around 25-30 minutes. See notes. Before serving taste for salt and pepper and add as needed.
- Enjoy with your favourite pasta, garnished with parsley and a side of garlic toast!
Video
Are you calling for 5-6 cups of whole mushrooms before processing or should it measure 5-6 cups after processing the whole mushrooms?
before!
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! I’m from the UK and really want to make this recipe however could you provide the measurements in grams for the mushrooms, walnuts and tomato paste please? Thank you
HOLY SMOKES THIS SPAGHETTI IS SO GOOD! That cinnamon and clove are just so delish, especially this time of year! This will be a new staple recipe for sure! Nicely done, Maria!!
Thank you so much, Laura!
I’ve made this sauce a few times now and absolutely love it! It’s quite time consuming, but I usually get 6-8 portions out of it so it’s worth it. I usually freeze a few portions of the mix and I microwave straight from frozen and it’s just as good – makes a great healthy mid week meal when you don’t have time to cook!
isn’t this one just the best!
This sauce is amazing! It’s my go to now, and every time I make it, I get asked for the recipe, which then I go on to tell them about food by Maria and all of her awesome recipes. I have yet to make one that wasn’t a hit! The other great thing about this recipe, is that it makes a ton of sauce, so I always have extra for another meal for my family of 4.
thank you so much for the love!
Very flavorful, I loved the texture and hidden veggies in there. I didn’t have celery so left that out and added 1C of red lentils (with water).
I used this recipe as one of my meal prep meals and am looking forward to this weeks dinners!
It will be in regular rotation, thank you!!
thank you so much!!!
Had tried other recipe yet this one is 5⭐. Flavourful and easy to make! I looved it,my kids and my carnivorous husband too. I had just a handful of Mushrooms unfortunately so had to substitute for Tofu, it was just as delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe
You are so welcome, I am so grateful you loved it!
Oh my god! you outdid yourself in this one.
You’re a master!
Thank you! Wow!! So delicious right?!
What is vegetable stock paste?
it’s a vegetable stock paste, I use a brand called better than bouillon. If you don’t have it use vegetable stock in place of water!
I had been waiting to try this recipe for a long time! We are a vegan family. Unfortunately, recently my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. Because of this diagnosis, I want to stay away from processed fake meats, of which my husband loves! My husband said it was delicious, served himself twice and so did my picky son. My only comment is that I could taste the clove and cinnamon, I will add less the next time I make. Aside from this, it was exactly what we needed and a perfect example that plant based dishes can still be hearty. Thank you Maria, you are my go to for quick delicious meals. I also love your app!
so glad he loved this recipe! sending your family love! Also, yes, just reduce if needed. Clove and cinnamon are traditional in greek meats sauces so I couldn’t make a sauce without them.. naturally!
What if you can’t eat walnuts? Would you substitute something else? Thanks!
hey! I haven’t tested the recipe with anything else unfortunately, i am so sorry! walnuts are pretty vital to the recipe!
Ok, thank you for your reply. I made this tonight without the walnuts and we really enjoyed it. I’m sure it’s even better with, than without.
yay!!! so glad you still loved it, friend! Thanks for the love!
I swapped out walnuts for sunflower seeds because allergy. Was delicious.