Easy Cheesy 'Meatball' Pasta
This one is a proper crowd-pleaser and honestly one of the recipes we keep coming back to when we want something that feels indulgent but is 100% plants. We're talking rich, herby 'meatballs' nestled in a deeply flavoured tomato sauce, all tangled up with pasta and finished with melty dairy-free cheese. It's the kind of bowl that makes people do a double-take when you tell them it's vegan. Yes, it's listed as advanced and yes, there are a few steps, but trust us, it's absolutely worth it and the end result tastes like you've been cooking all day. Make this tonight and watch it disappear.
Before You Start
- Large deep frying pan with lid
- Microplane or fine grater
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 tsp chilli flakes to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 red onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 400g cherry tomatoes
- 1 x 400g can(s) of chopped tomatoes
- 200ml water
- 12 plant-based meatballs
- 50g plant-based cheese
- 300g wholewheat penne pasta
- 15g basil leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method
First, prepare the ingredients
- Peel and finely dice the onions
- Peel and grate the garlic
- Finely dice the rosemary and thyme
- Finely slice the sun dried tomatoes
- Halve, trim, core and dice the pepper into 1cm chunks
- Finely dice the cherry tomatoes
- Coarsely grate the dairy-free cheese
Now, make your sauce
- Warm the oil from a jar of sun dried tomatoes in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat
- Add the onions and a small pinch of salt to the pan and stir for 4-5 minutes
- Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme and chilli flakes to the pan and stir for 1 minute
- Add the sun dried tomatoes and red pepper to the pan and stir for 3-4 minutes until the pepper is tender
- Add the tomato puree to the pan and stir for 1 minute
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir for 3 minutes until soft
- Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan, pour the water into the empty tin, pour the water into the pan, stir so the sauce is well mixed and let simmer for 3-4 minutes
Now, add the vegan meat
- Put the plant based meatballs into the pan making sure they’re evenly spaced out across the top of the sauce
- Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat right down and leave to simmer for 12-15 minutes
- Give the pan a gentle shake every couple of minutes to make sure the sauce doesn’t catch
While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to the package instructions
- Take the pasta out of the pan 2 minutes before it’s completely cooked through
- Drain the pasta, pour it into the pan and gently fold it into the sauce, ensuring the pasta is completely covered and the meatballs remain completely intact
- Evenly sprinkle the grated dairy-free cheese over the sauce
- Sprinkle the basil leaves over the cheese, put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is completely melted
- Take the lid off the pan, spoon the pasta into 4 bowls and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Use that sun dried tomato oil: Don't even think about swapping it for regular olive oil. That infused oil is liquid gold and it's what makes the sauce taste like it's been slow-cooked for hours.
- Grate your cheese coarsely: We know it's tempting to use pre-grated but coarsely grating your dairy-free cheese yourself means it melts so much better into the sauce and gives you those brilliant cheesy pockets throughout.
- Make the meatballs a little smaller: Henry always makes his slightly smaller than the recipe suggests so they cook through more evenly and you get more of them per bowl. More meatballs, more happiness, simple as that.
Why This Works
The trick here is using the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to start your sauce. It's already packed with flavour and it gives the whole dish this gorgeous, rich depth right from the very first step. We also find that finely dicing the cherry tomatoes into the sauce, rather than just using tinned, gives it a fresher, more vibrant taste that really lifts everything.