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Homemade Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

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This Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce is full of flavor and made from scratch in less than 40 minutes. It’s simple, easy, and delicious. It’s the perfect addition to any pasta dish.

vegetarian spaghetti sauce in pot with basil on top


 

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We’ve been opting for plant-based dinners about once a week in our household and this spaghetti sauce comes in handy. It’s full of texture and flavor thanks to the mushrooms and chickpeas. It’s perfect for anyone trying to opt for eating less meat in their diets as you won’t even miss the meat in this pasta dish. 

There are a few ingredients that give this dish an amazing flavor profile. They are:

  • Baby Bella Mushrooms – Gives the recipe that meaty flavor without the meat.
  • Chickpeas – Added to the dish not for the taste, but for the texture and protein.
  • Balsamic Vinegar – An acid that I think goes great with tomatoes.
  • Basil – Although fresh is generally best, this recipe calls for a whole tablespoon of dried. It’s easier as I always have it on hand. You could opt for fresh but add it in at the end of cooking. 
  • Oregano – I also used dried, same reasoning as the basil.

How to make Homemade Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

First, roughly chop your mushrooms, onions, and garlic. You can use a food processor for this step to speed up the process. However, I prefer to chop them by hand because I like the larger chunks. 

mushrooms, onions, and garlic on a cutting board

Then heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. I use my cast iron dutch oven to make this. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Then add mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms and onions have softened, about 5 more minutes. If you find your mushrooms are starting to dry out and stick to the pan, add about 1 Tbsp of vegetable broth to make it liquidy again. 

Add tomato paste, dried basil, and dried oregano and stir for about 1 minute.

vegetarian spaghetti sauce in yellow pot cooking.

Add crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, open your can of chickpeas and drain. Mash the chickpeas until they are finely mashed. Stir them into the spaghetti mixture and allow it to continue to cook until the chickpeas are heated through. 

vegetarian spaghetti sauce with chickpeas on top of it

Add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. 

vegetarian spaghetti sauce on a spoon

This spaghetti sauce goes well with traditional thin spaghetti noodles. It’s the perfect meatless spaghetti recipe that both meat-eaters and non-meat eaters will enjoy.

Looking for more Meatless dishes? Try these out:

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Homemade Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

Easy and delicious Homemade Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce made with mushrooms and chickpeas for added protein. This meatless sauce is the perfect substitute for meaty spaghetti sauce.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade spaghetti sauce, meatless spaghetti sauce, vegetarian spaghetti sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 110kcal
Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped
  • 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms chopped
  • 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can chickpeas drained and mashed
  • 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1.5 cups vegetable broth
  • chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Then add mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms and onions have softened, about 5 more minutes. If you find your mushrooms are starting to dry out and stick to the pan, add about 1 Tbsp of vegetable broth to make it liquidy again.
  • Add tomato paste, dried basil, and dried oregano and stir for about 1 minute
  • Add crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Meanwhile, open your can of chickpeas and drain. Mash the chickpeas until they are finely mashed. Stir them into the spaghetti mixture and allow it to continue to cook until the chickpeas are heated through.
  • Add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste
  • Serve over pasta.

Notes

  • If the sauce starts to bubble and pop while simmering, add a little more vegetable broth to stop the popping. 
  • This sauce can be frozen or refrigerated for a few days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
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Recipe Adapted from Tasty.

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Recipe Rating




MaryAnne

Monday 21st of March 2022

Since this will go with thin spaghetti noodles, would it stick on zoodles. Or would they be to “wet”. Need to substitute because of diabetes. Thank you

Tanya

Tuesday 22nd of March 2022

Hi MaryAnne, great question. I haven't served this over zoodles but I'm going to make a strong guess that it won't sick. I haven't had much luck getting any sauce to stick to zoodles.

Donna

Monday 21st of March 2022

I am loving these recipes as we are also cutting down on meat consumption! Thanks!

Vanessa Tyson

Tuesday 4th of August 2020

Vegan spaghetti sauce