A healthy twist on an Italian classic, this plant-based spaghetti and bean “meatballs” dish is hearty and delicious. This is an easy-to-make recipe for a quick weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy!
A comfort food favorite
When you think of comfort food, what comes to mind? For me, it’s some kind of pasta dish or pizza. In other words, give me all the carbs! I used to make traditional spaghetti and meatballs a lot, but when I started adding more plant-based meals into my diet, this was one of the first meals I experimented with.
You can make this dish with spaghetti squash (what I did), or you can serve it with your favorite pasta. I’ve been loving the brown rice pasta fusilli from Trader Joe’s lately since it’s made from whole grains and has 4 grams of protein per serving. Plus, the shape holds the sauce well so you don’t end up with spaghetti soup at the end of the meal!
Spaghetti and Bean “Meatballs” Recipe
To make the bean balls, add your white kidney beans and chopped onion to a food processor and pulse until beans begin to form a paste-like texture. Next, add your breadcrumbs (or ground oats if gluten-free), egg, garlic cloves, nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese (I used both!), parsley, basil, dried oregano, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides to make sure you get all that yumminess incorporated.
If your mixture is a little dry, add some water or if it is too wet, you can add more breadcrumbs or ground oats! The mixture will be very moist, but will firm up in the oven.
On to the fun part – making the balls! Sprinkle extra breadcrumbs or ground oats onto a plate for rolling. Using a cookie scoop (or spoon) form the bean mixture into golf ball-sized balls using your hands to help create a round shape. Roll in the breadcrumbs/oats until evenly coated and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You should have approximately 20 balls by the time you’re finished.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, turning them over at the halfway point so that both sides get crispy and golden brown!
Meanwhile, make the spaghetti squash or pasta and heat up some marinara sauce. To make spaghetti squash, cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Place cut-side down in a baking dish and fill with 1” water on the bottom. Microwave on high for about 15 minutes or until fork tender (you could also bake in the oven with the bean balls). When cool enough to handle, scrape the squash with a fork into a bowl to form spaghetti-like strands.
Usually I’m all about things that are homemade, but sometimes during the week, convenience wins. For this recipe, I picked up a good-quality marinara sauce that had whole, minimal ingredients listed. Now, for the hard part … Dump the sauce into a small saucepan and simmer until heated through and ready to serve. Told you it was difficult, right?
That’s it! In under 30 minutes, you will have the most delicious and healthy meal that is guaranteed to satisfy everyone at the dinner table. Now, who wants to come over and dig into these bean “meatballs” and spaghetti with me? Printable recipe is below!
Print
Spaghetti and Bean “Meatballs”
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A healthy twist on an Italian classic, this plant-based spaghetti and bean “meatballs” dish is hearty and delicious. This is an easy-to-make recipe for a quick weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 15 ounce cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs or coarsely ground oats, plus more for rolling
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup basil, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14–ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 spaghetti squash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the beans and onion to a food processor and pulse until beans form a paste-like texture.
- Add in the breadcrumbs/oats, egg, garlic, nutritional yeast/parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, dried oregano, lemon zest, olive oil salt and pepper and pulse until well combined.
- If the mixture is a little dry, add some water. If the mixture is a little wet, add some more breadcrumbs. The mixture will be very moist, but will firm up in the oven.
- Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs or oats in a shallow dish.
- Form bean mixture into golf ball-sized balls, using your hands to create a round shape.
- Roll in breadcrumbs/oats until well-coated and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You should get about 20 balls.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, turning them over halfway so that both sides are golden brown and crispy.
- Meanwhile, make your spaghetti squash or pasta!
- To make spaghetti squash, cut the squash in half and spoon out the seeds.
- Lay cut side down in a baking dish and fill with 1” of water.
- Pop in the microwave on high and cook for about 12-15 minutes until fork tender.
- When cool enough to handle, scrape the squash with a fork into a bowl to form spaghetti-like strands.
- Simmer marinara sauce in a small saucepan until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- When the meatballs are cooked through, it’s time to serve!
- Layer 1 cup spaghetti squash with 1/4 c. sauce and top with 3-4 meatballs. Garnish with extra parsley and parmesan cheese!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 meatballs + 1 ½ cups spaghetti squash
- Calories: 436
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 1575mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 15g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 49mg
Keywords: bean balls, comfort food, dinner, plant-based, spaghetti
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53 Responses
Great recipe! Love this recipe, thanks for sharing! Im pinning for later 😉
Thanks for the pin love, Autumn! Enjoy 🙂
Looks super delicious and your photos are seriously awesome!! Can you teach me your skills! haha
Thanks, Char and yes, any time!!
These look so yummy!! Beans really bother my stomach so I usually stay away.. I like to use chicken or ground turkey for meatballs.. High in protein and low in fat + still yummy!! 🙂 This is a great vegetarian option!
Thanks, Liz! Chicken or turkey meatballs are delicious, too 🙂
This is such a creative meal and looks absolutely delicious! I haven’t made meatballs in a long time and I love the idea of using beans! Congrats on cohosting Fitness Friday, I look forward to following your blog!
Thanks, Janelle! I’m super excited. I like the use of beans, too. It’s fun to switch it up every now and then!
What an awesome recipe, especially for those who need to avoid gluten. Thanks for sharing!
Now these look scrumptious!!
Thanks, Natalie! They sure are 🙂
yummy!! g;uten free and vegetarian!
Yes! So delicious and yummy 🙂
Oooo these look so good! A great way to enjoy a classic dish without meat! 🙂
Thanks, Brie! It’s fun to switch it up every now and then. Hope you are having a great weekend!
Oh yes I love using beans like this 🙂 So good! And I’m always happy when there is a GF option, since Dave has allergies! What a fantastic weeknight dish
Win! Thanks, Sam. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
I have done a lot of bean items but I don’t think I have EVER made a bean meatball!!! I love the idea!! My oldest daughter loves beans so it will be interesting to hear her comments about this.
Yeast and I don’t have a good relationship but I do have the parm cheese. This is so going to happen. Thank you!
Yay! Let me know how it turns out, Rose. It’s definitely a delicious way to switch up traditional spaghetti and meatballs!
Why did you choose white beans? Are they Canellini beans or a different type? My mom and I were discussing the lack of tatste/flavor in some types of beans compared to the others. I wondered whether I was going to do a grocery run or use beans I have on hand. Thanks!
They are Canellini beans. I chose them because I like the subtle flavor so that the other flavors from the herbs can shine, but you can use any beans you have!
Wait? I thought I commented. This looks delicious Carly. I can’t wait to see more!
I thought you did, too, Jill!! Can’t wait for you to review all of the recipes I’ve put together… I really can’t complain about the taste testing portion of the work 🙂
This looks so so delicious! Im definitely making this.
★★★★★
Thank you, Jessica! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
such a great meatless meal! I bet i wouldn’t even miss the meat! pinned 🙂
Thanks, Rachel! I gave it to family and friends to try as well and they all loved it!
yum! so glad these are vegetarian!
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This sounds really good…we try to go gluten free as much as possible so this would be a good dinner option for my household! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.HometownQueenBee.blogspot.com
Thanks, Cindy! This would be a great recipe to add to your weekly rotation… let me know how you like it!
This sounds really good – even for being meatless. 😉
Thanks, Susannah! You don’t even miss the meat because the beans are so hearty 🙂
YUM! These look DELICIOUS and I am so happy you offered vegan and gluten free options! I am so excited to make the nutritional yeast version xo C
Yay! Hope you enjoy them as much I do 🙂
These look fantastic! Love meatless meatballs! <3 Thanks for linking up!
Thanks Annmarie! They are super yummy 🙂
This is brilliant and sounds soooo delicious! I absolutely love beans and my husband and I have been trying to avoid meat for a while now. This will definitely be working it’s way into my kitchen! Thanks 🙂 Pinned <3
Whoohoo! You’ll have to let me know how they turn out. It’s a great meatless option!
These look fabulous! Love using beans in no meat balls too. Thanks so much for joining us for Meatless Monday!
Thanks, Deborah! It is a nice twist on a classic 🙂
Those look so yummy, and EASY!!! Thanks for another great post 🙂
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They are! Thanks for stopping by, Chelsea!
This looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t know if I could pass these for meatballs for my husband…but I think I would like them 🙂
Ha! Probably not… it’s the idea of them that make them similar to meatballs, but definitely not the taste. Just as good, though!
Yum, that looks amazing! Must try. Thanks for linking up!
wow I never thought of meatballs out of beans….this looks so delicious, thanks for sharing!
Valerie
Fashion and travel
Thanks, Valerie! Hope you will give them a try 🙂
These look good! Very interesting too!
I am a spaghetti lover and I never thought it can be this healthy. Would love to give this a try. So healthy! Yet yummy!
Thanks, Michael! Let me know what you think if you give it a try 🙂
yum, these meatless balls look great! I usually just make spaghetti with no meat because I”m not into fake meat but this bean balls are really intriguing
I’m not either. I would rather cook with whole foods and make it taste yummy. Hope you give them a try! 🙂