Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce! This plant-based tomato sauce is a crowd pleaser -- a traditional, Italian-inspired sauce that tastes meaty, but contains no meat. What it does contain is plenty of vegetables -- about 8 cups, but they're nicely hidden. Super versatile, serve with your favourite spaghetti, and optionally, Beyond Meat Meatballs.
This hearty sauce also makes a great base sauce for lasagna!
For those of you cooking for households that have diverse diets, check out our Tips: Cooking for mixed groups.
Ingredients
Visual Overview: Making Beyond Beef Spaghetti Sauce
Preparation
Gather all of the ingredients. Measure out the dry spices and the Parmesan cheese, if using.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Finely dice the onions and the peppers. I use an inexpensive food chopper to get an even, fine dice. If you want the vegetables to be 'hidden' the finer the dice the better.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce, dicing the vegetables
Making the Sauce
Heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are starting to get soft and golden.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce, frying the onions.
Add the peppers and cook and stir for another 5 minutes.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce, cooking the onions and peppers
Stir in the garlic and Beyond Meat.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Cook and stir until the 'meat' is browned, about 5 minutes.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Add the dried basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, strained tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes (if using.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Add in the finely chopped spinach and Parmesan (if using - not shown).
Making Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the spinach is dissolved into the sauce.
Close up view of Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce
Taste and adjust salt as needed. Enjoy with your favourite pasta.
Related Recipes
Tips: cooking for mixed groups
I've made the plant-based version of this recipe many times. I've also made the same recipe using real beef, or sometimes a 50/50 mix of beef and pork. While you obviously cannot cook for both vegans and carnivores in the same pot, the prep work for both versions is identical, as is the cooking process. Therefore, you could make both versions, side-by-side, easily.
If you do make separate versions, be sure to keep track of which is which, as the final versions look very similar.
Recipe Card
Beyond Meat Spaghetti Sauce - Meaty with hidden veggies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, finely diced
- 1-2 cups peppers, finely diced (I use an assortment of red, orange, and yellow, but use any colour you like.)
- 2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups spinach, finely chopped
- 1 unit Beyond Meat ground beef
- 680 ml strained/crushed tomatoes (I recommend a brand that has no sugar. It should contain just tomatoes and salt.)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Preparation
- The key to making this recipe a 'hidden' veggie sauce is to dice all of the vegetables as finely as possible. I use a small food chopper for this, which speeds up the work. I recommend chopping everything but the spinach before starting the recipe. While the sauce is simmering, you'll have time to chop the spinach.
Making the Sauce
- Heat the oil in a large pan.
- Stir in the onions and cook for 5 minutes on medium high.
- Add the peppers and cook, stirring occassionally, for another 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh garlic, and cook and stir for 5 more minutes.
- Add the Beyond Meat and cook until browned, about 5 for minutes.
- Turn down to a simmer and add the strained/crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes if using, and dried basil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the spinach and the Parmesan cheese (if using). Cook until the spinach is dissolved into the sauce, 5-10 minutes.
- Taste and add salt as needed.