This healthy vegetarian twist on spaghetti and meatballs is not only delicious but super simple to make and ready in under a half an hour.
When people find out that I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 12, after they get all the jokes out of their system, they almost always ask “do you miss meat?” Often they’re surprised when I respond “nope, not at all.”
See the reason I became a vegetarian when I was younger was 2 fold. The first reason was because I was going to a week long Zoo Camp at Busch Garden’s and I thought if I was the only kid eating meat I’d feel like a real tool. That’s not a joke. Side note: I was one of only 2 vegetarians there, clearly my logic was flawed. The second and more lasting reason is because I don’t like meat. I never had when I was a kid so when I realized that by calling myself a vegetarian I never had to deal with meat again I was like “cool, sign me up.”
Because I never loved meat, I typically don’t seek out meat replacements like tofurky, tofupups or other veggie meats, however I have to share with you a product that actually swept me off my meat (get it? get it? ok, I’ll stop.)
When I was asked if I wanted to participate in Gardein’s sponsored campaign, I was a little hesitant. Like I said, I don’t eat a lot of meat substitutes, but I wanted to give it a try before I decided yes or no. Plus I wouldn’t want to share a product that I wouldn’t honestly recommend to my family and friends. After my first mouthful of veggie meatballs, I thought to myself “Ok, damn, these are legit.” The texture was hearty, but what really sold me were the hints of fennel. These veggie meat balls weren’t fucking around.
Now I can’t give you an honest opinion about whether these taste like actual meatballs because I have literally no idea what meatballs taste like anymore – for that, I’ll have to consult my stepdad who’s a meatball enthusiast. However, I do know that I’ll be throwing these bad boys into my rotation especially come zoodle time, which funny enough is on my clock a lot.)
Beyond being pretty damn tasty I felt good about eating these little meatless balls. One serving (3 balls) has 17g of protein! (Not too shabby) Plus all Gardein’s products are made from non-GMO veggies, soy and ancient grains. These are great products if you’re looking to cater to any visiting vegetarians or vegans, but you’re not sure what to make for them (aka my family for the first couple years).
The folks over at Gardein are offering a $1 off coupon on any of their products. I bought mine from Stop & Shop in the frozen section but they’re also sold at Target and most grocery chains.
Oh yeah, I haven’t even told you the deal sealer, besides obviously tasting great. These meatless meatballs are super easy to prepare. I whipped up these pesto zoodles with meatless balls in less than 30 minutes, which is pretty much my patiences threshold after I come home from work starving.
- 1 Large Zucchini
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of Pesto
- 1/3 Cup Chopped Onions
- 3 Gardien Veggie Meatless Meatballs
- Defrost Meatless Meatballs according to package instruction
- Spiralize large zucchini making sure to pat out extra moisture and chop onions
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil and place zoodles and onions and
- Stir in 2 tbsp of pesto and use a spatula to incorporate
- Add your 3 meatless meatballs into the sauté pan
- Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes
- Transfer into a bowl and enjoy
Big thanks to Gardein for sponsoring this post and “sweeping me off my meat.” While I was compensated for my time, all my opinions and sass are 100% my own. I promise to never work with brands or promote products I don’t believe in. Sponsored posts help me pay for the blog expenses and keep bringing you the tasty, healthy and fun content you love!
Your Turn:
- Have you ever tried veggie meatballs?
- Did you ever have a vegetarian phase as a kid?
I’ve never had veggie meatballs but I’ve had veggie burgers! So I guess that’s kind of the same. I’ve seen good recipes for quinoa meatballs that I want to try. I had pesto zoodles last night for dinner!
I’ve had AMAZING veggie burgers and veggie burgers that have made me lose faith in humanity, ok that’s dramatic, but there are some pretty awful meat substitutes out there which is why I generally avoid. Pesto zoodles FTW!
I am definitely going to have to make this recipe after making your last zoodle recipe and loving it! I love Gardein meatless chicken, but haven’t yet tried out their meatless meatballs, though I am sure they are just as tasty as their meatless chickent!
I just bought the chicken, I’m excited to try it now! And yeah you can never go too wrong with zoodles and pesto right?
Man, that is one helluvan exciting “pasta” dish! Def gotta try those “meat”balls!
Zoodles have been my jam lately!
I have always been a carnivore and I am pretty picky about my meatballs…LOL! My Mom is Italian and she makes the best meatballs around, so I just stick with those. It may only be once a year, but it is worth the wait. They are that good. Oh and I know all the ingredients that are in them. 😉
There’s definitely an art to meatballs (probably one I’ll never quite understand) but I know my stepdad is VERY particular but they’re his favorite thing to order at an Italian restaurant.
I definitely went through a vegetarian phase! But I love chicken too much, haha. I also went through a big mac phase, so there you go as well, lol. This looks great!
It’s great trying different ways of eating, but if you love something that your body loves too there’s no point in giving it up. I tried veganism for a while and felt the same way. A little dairy is my favorite treat.
I like your take on a traditional pasta dish! I’m going to have to give this recipe a try!
Thanks Cathi! You can never go wrong with a little pesto 😉
Wow, I love all the main ingredients here. I can’t wait to put them together.
Thanks Debbie! Loved your gardein recipes too <3
The ZOODL-IZER is totally coming out of the pantry tomorrowww!!!
I love the way this recipe looks! I feel like I could trick my boyfriend into thinking he’s getting spaghetti with meatballs and he would be pleasantly surprised 🙂