Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

What is the one ingredient that makes spaghetti sauce so much better? ›

Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.

This easy vegetarian recipe for meatless spaghetti is packed full of nutrients and uses whole wheat pasta for a healthy weeknight meatless meal! Use fresh garlic, onion, and mushrooms to make an irresistible meatless spaghetti. Meatless spaghetti is a staple in our house, and we make it at least every few weeks!

Vegetables — The type of veggies are up to you, but we love zucchini, yellow squash, jarred roasted red peppers, leafy greens, peas, corn, and cabbage. Options are endless, here. Onion, garlic, and tomato paste — These provide a base flavor for the simple sauce.

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

Toss in Olives or Capers

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

If you do not have crushed or diced tomatoes, you can use tomato sauce and tomato paste instead. If using tomato paste, you will need to add 1 cup of water and allow the sauce to simmer. Worcestershire sauce – (Optional) Deepens the flavor of the sauce.

If you want to make a vegetarian version of this hidden vegetable pasta sauce, I suggest mincing an 8oz. container of mushrooms and sautéing them with the onions and garlic. The minced texture will mimic the ground meat and mushrooms have that umami flavor that is similar to ground meat.

The main differences between refined (white) pasta and white rice are in the amount of calories, fiber, and protein in each. Pasta contains more calories, more fiber, and more protein than rice. However, many healthier varieties of pasta and rice are available that are more nutritious than their refined counterparts.

The key to eating pasta every day is to limit your portion size and supplement your pasta bowl with essential nutrients. The recommended portion size is two ounces of dry pasta or one cup of cooked pasta. To create a balanced and healthy pasta meal, try adding vegetables, chicken, or fish.

Is veggie spaghetti healthier than regular spaghetti? ›

Substituting veggie pasta for traditional varieties can indeed provide a health benefit. It may not be as pronounced as swapping out your pasta entirely for a spaghetti squash, but the added benefit of not needing to take the time to prepare vegetables ahead of time is a definite win for pasta.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté for a bit until the onions are translucent but not brown. Add the tomatoes and the garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly reduced.

Celebrity chefs including Hugh Acheson and Giada De Laurentiis recommend using finely grated or diced carrots to lend a subtle sweetness to tomato sauces, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes without the risk of winding up with a too-sweet sauce.

Del Conte explains that "to make a good tomato sauce, you can either cook the tomatoes for a very short time or let them bubble for at least 40 minutes", because they only begin to release their acid juices after about 10 minutes, and these take at least half an hour's simmering to evaporate.

To incorporate anchovies into your sauce, chuck the canned or jarred fish into your pan as you begin to cook down your onions and garlic. This will give the anchovies ample time to dissolve and allow this ingredient to smoothly integrate into your silky sauce, per MyRecipes.

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.