Homemade Spaghetti-o's

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Homemade Spaghetti-o's are your childhood favorite, only better. A one-pot meal that everyone will love!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: dinner, lunch, main dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 192kcal

Place a large pot over medium heat and add oil.
Once oil is hot add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and stir together. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Add tomato sauce and stir together for 1 minute.
Add dry pasta and 3 1/2 cups water and stir together. Season with salt and pepper.
Raise heat to medium-high heat and bring mixture up to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. (If mixture is getting too thick and pasta is not done cooking, add 1/2 cup water at a time to loosen the mixture).
Once pasta has cooked through and sauce has thickened, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese until fully incorporated. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) as needed.
Scoop spaghetti-o’s into individual bowls and top each with a dollop of ricotta cheese and basil leaves, if using. Serve.

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.