Homemade Spaghetti-o’s

If you need to get dinner on the table fast and want everyone to be licking their bowls clean, then homemade spaghetti-o’s are the answer. It’s a guaranteed kid-pleaser, but we promise you’ll also love this slightly grown-up version of your childhood favorite.

As a one-pot meal, it’s almost as easy as popping open a can, but using real ingredients like tomato sauce, garlic, parmesan cheese, and dried anellini pasta (for classic O’s!) gives it a velvety smooth texture and rich flavor the canned stuff can’t touch. Serve it with a classic grilled cheese or chicken tenders, and you’ve got a nostalgic comfort meal your kids will enjoy just as much as you do.

How to make homemade Spaghetti-O’s

Ingredients

Process

1. Place a large pot over medium heat and add oil.
2. Once oil is hot add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

3. Add tomato sauce and stir together. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
4. Add dry pasta and water and stir together.

5. Bring mixture up to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. Once mixture has thickened and pasta has cooked through, remove from heat and add grated Parmesan cheese.

7. Stir grated Parmesan into the mixture until fully incorporated and smooth.

Storing and reheating instructions for Spaghetti-O’s

To store leftovers, let the Spaghetti-O’s cool completely in the pot, then transfer them to an airtight container (preferably glass) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To reheat, our preferred method is to use the stovetop. Just add leftovers to a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water, milk, or broth, stirring until the sauce has loosened and is heated through.

If you want to reheat them in the microwave, add a portion to a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel, and heat in 30-second intervals until heated through. If the sauce is too thick, just whisk in a splash of water or milk in between heating intervals until it’s the consistency you want.

If you want to make a big batch and store them for quick lunches or dinners later, you can even freeze these spaghetti-Os! Once cool, add individual portions to freezer bags or freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as directed above.

Important tips for homemade Spaghetti-O’s success

If you want spaghetti-o’s that taste like your childhood (only better), pay extra attention to these details.

• Stir frequently. Since we’re making this a one-pan meal and the pasta is cooking in the sauce, it’s prone to sticking to the bottom of the pot. To prevent this from happening, just give it a good stir every few minutes while it simmers.
• Keep the pasta to a simmer, not a boil. When we cook pasta in water, we boil it. When we cook pasta in sauce, we keep the heat low and slow. Once it reaches that initial boil, turn the heat down so the pot stays at a gentle simmer.
• Sautéing the garlic, seasoning, and tomato paste in the first step deepens the sauce’s flavor; don’t skip it!
• Adjust the liquid as needed. Keeping the pot to a simmer should help the sauce thicken as the pasta softens, but if the sauce becomes too thick and your pasta still isn’t al dente, add a splash more water. Pay extra attention to this in the last few minutes of simmering.
• Wait until the pot is off the heat before adding the Parmesan cheese. This helps it melt smoothly into the sauce.

Anelli pasta substitutions

For a fully nostalgic experience, you’ll want to hunt down some Anelli pasta, which is identical to the classic little rings you find in a can of Spaghetti-O’s. But, if your local grocery store doesn’t have them, or you want to give this a try with what you have on hand, any small pasta shape works well.

Here are a few other fun options to try, along with their cook time so you can estimate how long they’ll take compared to anelli pasta (13 minutes):

• Ditalini: small tube-shaped noodles with a 10-minute cook time
• Elbow macaroni: easiest to find in-store, cooking in about 6 minutes
• Stellini: fun star-shaped noodles, but cooks in just 6 minutes

What to serve with Spaghetti-O’s

While there’s nothing wrong with eating a bowl of Spaghetti-O’s on their own for lunch (just like when you were a kid!), they’re the perfect pairing for some of our other favorite quick and easy dishes:

• Chicken tenders
• Egg salad sandwich
• Turkey meatballs
• Filet o fish
• Garlic bread
• Caesar salad

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