Quick poll. Who likes pasta? Everyone. Cool.
Poll #2: Who wishes pasta was healthier? Everyone again? Well get excited, my fit and focused friends, because I have the most amazing healthy “pasta” dish for you.
Introduce your taste buds to Healthy Spaghetti & “Meatballs” with Tomato Garlic Sauce!
This dish is delish and it’s 200% healthier than regular spaghetti & meatballs. Ok, that statistic has not been proven, but I bet you’ll feel 200% healthier after eating this than after eating the traditional pasta and meat laden version of this dish!
The noodles are made simply out of zucchini. They take all of 2 minutes to make. No cooking required.
The sauce is raw, as well! Just throw everything in a blender and zzcchchch (that’s the sound a blender makes, obviously), you have sauce!
I got the recipe for the “meatballs” from Oh She Glows. If you are a vegan or vegetarian and don’t know Oh She Glows, you need to head over there STAT. Her recipes are incredible! These “meatballs” take a little more time to make than the noodles and sauce, but they’re still pretty easy. All you need is a food processor, a bowl, and a baking sheet. Get the recipe here!
The best part is how satisfying this meal is. You can have a huge plate of zucchini noodles and no guilt at all! Plus you’ll get tons of fiber and protein from the veggies & beans. The zucchini noodles are light and refreshing and have the texture of al dente pasta, and the sauce is to die for.
This dish will bring the inner-vegan out of any meat & cheese loving Italian. Ok, also not a proven fact, but when you’re taste buds get a hold of this, well, that’s amore!
What’s your favorite healthy substitution?


- 5-6 large zucchini
- See Oh She Glows' Italian Bean Balls recipe (link in post)
- 4 pitted dates, soaked
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
- 1 cup chopped, cherry tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp dried basil
- Dash of cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp yellow miso (or 1 tsp salt)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into thin ribbons, stopping when you get to the seeds. You can also use a mandolin slicer or a spiralizer. Place the noodles in a large bowl and set aside.
- See Oh She Glows' Italian Bean Balls recipe (link in post). I used sunflower seeds instead of walnuts and used dried spices instead of fresh.
- Soak the sun-dried tomatoes and dates for an hour or more.
- Drain the soaked tomatoes and dates and place them in a high powered blender, like a Vitamix. Add all of the other ingredients, except for the water.
- Blend, using a tamper to press the ingredients down or stopping occasionally to push down with a spatula.
- If the mixture is too thick, slowly add water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- To plate, place 1/6th of the noodles on a plate. Top with 3-4 meatballs and sauce. Toss to coat.
- This sauce is raw and therefore is served cold. If you would like it warm, feel free to heat it up, but I can not speak to the flavor when heated.

Ooh those bean balls look delicious. I eat meat (used to be vegetarian), but I appreciate and enjoy raw and vegan meals, as well. That raw tomato sauce looks really good with the dates and sun-dried tomatoes!
Jojo @ RunFastEatLots recently posted…The Ultimate Weekend Eats: NYC Edition
Thanks! The bean balls are so tasty, and the sauce – pretty sure I could eat it right out of the jar!
When I first discovered raw, vegan spaghetti and “meatballs” I was in heaven. I have been trying different versions at local raw and vegan restaurants but I never made my own, so I am delighted to see your recipe! I can’t wait to make this! Thank you so much for sharing this healthy and delicious recipe on the Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Blog Hop! I appreciate it!
Deborah Davis recently posted…Share the Food & Fun at the Plant Based Potluck Party Link Up #2
thanks for hosting! Let me know how you like it if you try it!
This looks great! I’m not vegan, so I might even sub cooked meatballs for the vegetarian recipe linked above… But I love the raw zucchini noodles and the sauce looks divine. And so easy! I found you through Deborah’s blog hop… Great stuff. š
Brianne recently posted…Prevent Hunchback: The 30-30 Rule
Thanks for stopping by!