Vegan SpaghettiOs with Meatballs

Like most kids raised in the 80s and 90s, I ate a LOT of lot of pre-made, prepackaged convenient food.

With two woking parents, we ate things that were quick and easy, that we could make ourselves as kids.

Soups in a can , microwavable dinners, ramen from the packet, Hamburger Helper, Lunchables, and my fave, SpagettiOs WITH meatballs. Always with the tiny little meatballs.

We grew up living with my dad and I was always his grocery shopping helper. He was the king of couponing, and even had a little black coupon accordion style pouch he took with him. This was well before the couponing craze, tv shows, and websites dedicated to the art of coupon clipping. He was just a single dad, trying to save money, raising 2 kids.

The advantage to being his grocery store helper was getting to choose my lunchables and which cans of SpagettiOs I got. I always chose meatballs, and rarely was allowed to get the “character brands” that cost more just because there was a picture of Garfield or Alvin and Chipmunks on the can.

My kids have never had a can of SpagettiOs. SpagettiOs are not vegan. Which again it is one of those products that really could be, but isn't . How sad for my sweet vegan/dairy allergy kids who can’t eat the food of my youth and know what its like to have your own personalized can of spaghetti and meatballs.

Oh wait, they can! Because making your own vegan SpaghettiOs is actually SUPER SIMPLE.

Look, if you don’t want to make your own homemade vegan meatballs, don’t. Use frozen. And if you can’t find little O noodles at your local store (I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them locally) you can order them online or you can use any noodle shape you like! Easy Peasy.

I think the saddest part for me was that 2 of my 4 kids are not fans. Weird, I know. I, as a grown up lady, still love them as much as I did when I was a kid. Like cramming them in my face at an embarrassing rate, filled with nostalgia and pure joy.

But then again, half of my kids also don’t like chocolate or pie, or vegan hamburger, so I don’t trust that half anyways.

So if you have missed a good ol can of SpagettiOs because you are vegan or have a diary allergy, the answer is easy homemade Vegan Spagettios with Meatballs. I promise, they won’t disappoint (well maybe they won’t disappoint 2 of your 4 kids….still scratching my head over this one)

INGREDIENTS:

Yields 6-8 servings but would also freeze well. This recipe would be great for meal prep for school lunches or quick weeknight dinner.

• 3/4 lbs pasta of your choice. We used round ring pasta that I found on amazon

• 2 (28 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes ( they will be blended up so use any 28 oz can of tomatoes you have)

• 1 small yellow onion

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 cups water

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1-2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 batch homemade vegan meatballs, or one bag frozen

VEGAN MEATBALLS:

• 1 lb vegan vegan ground of your choice (we used Beyond Meat Brand)

• 1/4 cup vegan panko bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Combine the vegan ground meat along with remaining meatball ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix well. Using a 1 inch cookie scoop or a regular spoon, scoop up the mixture and roll into small meat balls. Place the vegan meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked through.

2. While the meatballs are baking, bring a large pot or dutch oven full of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until they are done. Drain the noodles and leave them in the colander.

3. Quarter the onion and add it along wit the canned tomatoes to a blender or food processor and blent until smooth.

4. Pour the blended tomatoes into the pot that you boiled the noodles in. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add in the water, noodles, and meatballs. Let everything hang out and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring to keep the noodle from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

5. Serve as is or sprinkled with vegan parmesan cheese. You can store in the fridge for 5 days or freezer for 2 months.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Vegan Cheeseburger Helper

Vegan Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

Vegan Cincinnati Pumpkin Chili

I grew up in the south, so Cincinnati chili is not something I had ever even heard of until I was a teenager.

It seemed very odd to me to be topping pasta with chili and cheese, and I could not get behind this idea. That was until I was an adult and a friend served it to me. I HAD BEEN SO WRONG.

Not only does it work, but it’s delicious. I hate to admit it, but obviously we don’t know everything here in the south, because we didn’t know about this magic!

Also, don’t worry about the pumpkin in this Cincinnati chili recipe. It just makes it a little less acidic since we are using less tomato than usual. It adds a thickness we need, and along with the cauliflower and beans, makes for a super healthy and hearty chili!

So if you are from the south and have never had Cincinnati chili either, just do it. I promise we will not revoke your southern card!

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Ingredients:

• 1 package spaghetti noodles (regular or gluten free)

• 2 cups vegan cheddar shreds (I use Follow Your Heart)

• 1/2 diced yellow onion

• I batch pumpkin chili

Pumpkin Chili

• I 15 oz can of pumpkin puree

• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatos

• 1 15 oz can of black beans

• 1 15 oz can of red kidney beans

• 1 small head of cauliflower

• 1/2 yellow onion

• 1 4 oz can green chilis

• 1 cup water

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon

• 2 teaspoons cumin powder

• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• pepper to taste

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Instructions:

1. Wash and finley chop the head of cauliflower. You can also take larger pieces and toss them in your food processor, pulsing a few times until its all chopped up.

2. Dice the onion. Half will be used in the chil,i and the other half will be used to top the chili once it’s done.

3. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add a few teaspoons of oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, add 1/2 of the onion and all of the cauliflower. Cook for a few minutes, until onions become translucent.

4. Drain and rinse the beans and add along with the remaining chili ingredients to the pot. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. While the chili is cooking, cook the noodles according to package instructions.

6. Once chili and noodles are done, serve by topping noodles with the chili, cheese and 1/2 of the diced onions.

7. The chili will freeze really well, so if you have any leftovers, just pop them in a gallon size freezer bag, and freezer for up to a month. You can quickly thaw it later for an even quicker Cincinnati chili weeknight dinner!

Serves 6