There’s nothing quite like a big plate of piping hot spaghetti to feed the soul. I’m guessing that if you had to pick your top five comfort meals, spaghetti would be on the list. And if you had a childhood like mine, that plate of spaghetti was covered in a hearty meat sauce (or as the Italians would say— Bolognese).
But when I started going vegetarian at the age of 12, that changed. My meatless sauce was simply the store bought, jarred variety. If it was on sale, my mom might buy the chunky vegetable kind. And it was fine. I had no complaints.
As I got older and started cooking for myself, I’d add my own kitchen vegetables – namely mushrooms and onions — and I never really missed the meat sauce.
And then I met my husband.
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Beefy Spaghetti
My husband never much cared for my vegetable spaghetti. He’s very open to vegetarian cuisine, but it just never quite cut it for him. Even with ground plant-based options, we couldn’t agree (I didn’t like it).
Eventually, we decided to just each make our own. He called his beefy spaghetti (said in a weird, Frankenstein-like tone); mine was referred to as the watery, vegetable spaghetti — so really, neither sounded very good. But recently, we found a wonderful compromise.
I’ve discovered that there is a super yummy, non-fake meat way to make a hearty spaghetti sauce. It doesn’t call for TVP crumbles, lentils, or a trip to a specialty store. (‘Cause no matter how long I’m vegetarian, I will never believe that lentils are an appropriate meat substitute and TVP will always just be meh.)
On the contrary, this recipe is about as simple as it gets. It has very limited, simple ingredients:
Cauliflower.
Walnuts.
Onion.
Jarred spaghetti sauce.
Not Another Cauliflower Recipe
I know, I know. Cauliflower is in everything these days and it’s annoying. It’s not a super food. It doesn’t taste good. It’s plain and bitter and weird. But I promise you, this is delicious and will absolutely hit the spot with meat eaters. I even tried it out on a group of skeptical participants and they gave it [a very surprised] thumbs up!
And if you can replace a pound of expensive, saturated fat-filled ground beef with healthy, inexpensive cauliflower, why wouldn’t you?
Fun fact: Did you know that if you eat three cups of cruciferous vegetables a week, it cuts your risk of cancer in half?! Hop on that bandwagon and give this a go. (Cruciferous vegetables are those in the cabbage family and include broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and asparagus.)
Walnuts
I love walnuts, but they aren’t everyone’s favorite. They do, however, have a softer texture which lends well to this recipe. With the spaghetti sauce, you can’t taste them. They don’t crunch in this recipe. Rather, they provide a consistent texture that won’t change as the sauce simmers. I imagine that you could sub Brazil nuts if you’re averse to walnuts, although I haven’t tried it.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any non-nut suggestions if you have an allergy. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to learn about them in the comments below.
Manual food processor for the win!
I cannot advocate enough for these small, manual food processors. It makes this sauce super quick & easy.
Food processors — the electric ones — are so big and loud. I love my electric one for making laundry detergent, but that’s about all I use it for anymore. It’s too clunky to drag out for the small tasks.
Pull cord style manual food processor
The pull cord style manual food processor is both small and quiet. I received one as a holiday gift one year and was sure I’d never use it. Lo and behold, it became one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. The only downfall with that model is that you shouldn’t submerge the lid or the cord gets wet. Eventually this causes the fibers to deteriorate and break. A quick rinse with the opening pointed down when I’m done and it seems to do the trick. Unfortunately, mine met its demise before I learned this lesson; it probably would have succumbed to this fate eventually, either way.
Crank handle manual food processor
After my small, pull cord food processor broke, I thrifted this style with a crank handle. It does the trick, but I don’t like it quite as well.
A) it’s more work to get the same grind, particularly on crunchier items. The model I purchased is specifically marketed for salsa making, and I can understand why.
B) it’s takes up more space. The two-cup pull cord was perfect for the minimalist style kitchen I’m aiming for.
If you’re hesitant to buy a food processor for any of the above reasons, check your local thrift stores. Quirky kitchen gadgets are on my list of things that I always try to buy secondhand.
Easy Meal Prep
This spaghetti is one of my favorite ways to use up a head of cauliflower because I can run it in the food processor and freeze it pre-measured. When I need an easy meal, it’s ready to go!
Bonus: If you hate dealing with food processors, you can totally use frozen, store-bought, pre-riced cauliflower! Talk about easy!
Meatless Lasagne
If you’re wondering if you can sub this meatless spaghetti sauce in lasagne, the answer is YES! I make lasagne a lot more often now that I have this easy substitution. Even our overly picky seven year old likes it!
Anyway, here’s the [super simple!] recipe!
Hearty Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
2 c. riced Cauliflower
¾ c. finely chopped walnuts
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 – 24 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
- Chop the onion and sauté in the olive oil over medium heat.
- Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. When the onions start to become translucent, add the cauliflower to the pot along with a pinch of salt. If you’d like, add a couple tablespoons of water to help it steam and cover with a lid. Cook until it loses its bright white, raw color.
- Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until crumbly. (Be careful not to over process, you don’t want them to become a nut meal.) When the cauliflower is cooked through, stir into the pot.
- Stir in a jar of your preferred spaghetti sauce. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite pasta and fixings!
I really hope that you and your family enjoy this recipe. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just looking to cut meat out from time to time, budget-friendly plant-based eating is always a win. And it’s always easiest if you can replicate what’s in your comfort zone. For my husband, this is our new beef-less spaghetti.
If you like this recipe, I encourage you to check out my recipe for vegan tuna salad. It also uses cauliflower in a surprising way!
Looking for some other ways to replace meat in your meals? Check out my other posts 8 Simple Ways to Make Mondays Meatless or Lazy Vegetarian Meal Planning.
Santé!
Melissa, Funky Crunchy Mama
