Name: Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 8 oz Explore Cuisine's Chickpea Spaghetti; 2 T Oil; 2.5 c diced tomato (fresh tomatoes); 1 T Worcestershire; 1 T Brown Sugar (optional); 1/2 c water (optional if sauce is too thick); pinch red pepper flakes; 1 t oregano (dried)

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Vegetarian spaghetti sauce is a delicious minimalist approach to meatless spaghetti sauce. Using minimal fresh ingredients brings out the robust taste in this vegan spaghetti sauce.

If you google the term “vegetarian spaghetti sauce” you will get a variety of recipes. You will get some vegetarian spaghetti sauce recipes that are stock full of veggies, lentils and more. Those meatless spaghetti sauce recipes are truly delicious.

Today, we are taking a turn at simplicity with our vegetarian spaghetti sauce. Our meatless sauce has just a handful of common, simple ingredients that in the end will make your mouth water for a second serving. You might want to serve up some roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts or a zucchini bake casserole with your vegetarian spaghetti.

Spaghetti is a very common dish when it comes to meal time. Whether you are making your vegetarian spaghetti using sauce from a jar or perhaps you are making your own vegan spaghetti sauce from scratch.

My family loves spaghetti. It seems like it is almost a right of passage meal. I mean, we all probably have comforting memories of eating spaghetti growing up. I remember my mom would make huge pots of homemade spaghetti sauce and freeze the sauce for future meals. It was such a fun process and the kitchen smelled amazing.

Consider this vegetarian spaghetti sauce with a minimalist approach. Check out the simple ingredients:

Spaghetti
Fresh tomatoes
Avocado Oil
Onion
Worcestershire (gf + vegan)
Water
Seasonings

We are taking this minimalist approach to our vegetarian spaghetti sauce because we want to focus on letting the simple ingredients do the talking. Not only does this meatless spaghetti sauce pack the flavor but so does the pasta we use.

Calling all pasta pioneers, we want to share with you a smarter way to “pasta.” I’ve been dishing and sharing about Explore Cuisine pastas for years. You can catch all my recipes that use Explore Cuisine Pasta in our recipe index. We are huge fans of this pasta brand because they focus on organic and gluten-free pastas that are filled with the goodness of beans, lentils, rice and chickpeas. Who can resist a pasta that is packed with protein and fiber. For this specific recipe we used Explore Cuisine’s Chickpea Spaghetti. It is made with: Organic chickpea flour, organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca starch, organic pea protein powder.

Do you want to be part of the #PastaPioneerChallenge? Now through November 30, 2019 you can submit your own delicious and nutritious Italian recipes on social media by using the hashtag #PastaPioneerChallenge Explore Cuisine will be selecting ONE grand prize winner to take a trip to Italy (for two!). Explore Cuisine will also be randomly selecting monthly winners as part of the recipe contest. Monthly winners get something special too! Monthly winners will get a special prize pack sent directly to them, containing pioneering kitchen gadgets and some amazing Explore Cuisine Products. If you’d like more details you can visit https://www.explorecuisine.com/

How to make vegetarian spaghetti sauce:

Prepare your pasta per the directions on the box.
Dice onion. In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the avocado oil and then saute the onion until soft. While onion is sauteing, dice the fresh tomatoes. Once the onions are soft put the tomatoes in the skillet along with the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar (optional), water, red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Bring sauce to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Once sauce is done simmering, pour the sauce into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Top cooked spaghetti noodles with sauce.
Garnish with fresh basil, parmesan (vegan or dairy).
ENJOY!

Tips and Variations for Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

Add more fresh or dried herbs to the meatless spaghetti sauce to further enhance the flavor.
Add finely chopped vegetables to the sauce such as carrots and celery. You can make the sauce thicker by doing this.
Add in some vegetarian protein such as a meat substitute or lentils to make the sauce more hearty.

What is marinara sauce?

Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce that is made by combining tomatoes, onions and herbs. It has a wide range of variations to the basic recipe. The Marinara sauce is frequently used in American and Italian Cuisines.

Is marinara sauce vegan?

Yes, in its basic form, marinara sauce is vegan. It is a combination of tomatoes, onions and herbs.

Can you freeze this vegetarian spaghetti sauce?

Yes, this meatless spaghetti sauce freezes well. I often make a double batch when all my garden tomatoes ripen at the same time!

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Yes, while I like to use fresh tomatoes with this recipe you can use a canned variety of tomatoes to make this vegetarian spaghetti sauce. Some varieties of canned tomatoes might make the sauce taste bitter. If that happens you can add a ¼ of a teaspoon of baking powder to the sauce. That should take away the bitter flavor.

What about tomato skins?

Some vegan spaghetti recipes that use fresh tomatoes, remove the skins. That is not necessary with this recipe, as we are using a high powered blender to blend our meatless spaghetti sauce. If you do not have access to a high powered blender you can boil the tomatoes first to remove their skins.

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Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce being twirled on a fork.

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5 from 4 votes