Disclosure: This recipe for Homemade Spaghettios contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This made from scratch version of a childhood classic, Homemade SpaghettiOs, uses wholesome pantry staples to make an irresistible lunch recipe!
Scroll down for the recipe for Homemade Spaghettios or PIN IT for later!
Most every child from the 80’s and 90’s grew up on classic store-bought staples like blue box mac and cheese, Hamburger Helper, Chef Boyardee and Spaghettios.
Whether your parents dished these up for a quick dinner or sent them with you to school in a thermos for a lunchbox surprise, I’m sure many of you have nostalgic memories associated with these foods.
To be honest, I haven’t thought about Spaghettios much since childhood, but sometime last year I got a random craving. This sent me on a quest to develop a similar, but better, made from scratch version.
We wanted a recipe that reminded us of our carefree childhood, but satisfied our sophisticated adult palate.
After a lot of testing, we’ve created a one pot wonder, featuring pantry staples, that will satisfy both adults and kids of this generation!
Helpful Tips and Information:
How to make spaghettios?
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the tomato paste and stir, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic and brown sugar.
- Stir in the vinegar and vegetable stock, stirring until everything is mixed through and the mixture is smooth.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Once simmering, stir in the pasta. Cook, stirring often, for 15-18 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked and the soup is a bit thicker. Add additional broth if needed to continue cooking pasta,
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese and milk, stirring until cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
Are SpaghettiOs healthy?
As with many canned foods, traditional store bought spaghettios contain a lot of added sodium and sugar.
However, with DIY SpaghettiOs, you control the ingredients you use and therefore homemade SpaghettiOs are a much healthier option, as the sodium and sugar levels are lower than what is found in the store-bought version.
SpaghettiOs Ingredients:
As with many prepackaged foods, store bought SpaghettiOs contain a lot of added ingredients. And while we didn’t want to add a bunch of additives to our copycat spaghettios, we wanted to keep the base of the recipe the same, but you know, using real ingredients.
Below are the ingredients in our homemade spaghettios:
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Spices: kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika
- Fresh minced garlic
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable stock
- Cheddar cheese
- Milk
- Anellini pasta
What kind of pasta is spaghettios?
Spaghettios is made out of ring shaped pasta called anellini pasta. You can find Anellini pasta online and some speciality food stores.
If you can’t find Anellini pasta, you can use ditalini pasta.
What to serve with this Easy Spaghettios Recipe?
If you want to keep things simple, you can serve this vegetarian dinner recipe with fresh fruit or veggies with ranch.
If you like these Homemade Spaghetti O’s, you’ll love these other copycat recipes:
Boston Market Cornbread – Cornbread is a necessary staple during the cooler winter months, as it is the perfect side for soup, stew or chili! This version, inspired by a popular restaurant chain, is a quick and easy sweet cornbread that will feed a crowd!
Copycat Olive Garden Salad – This Copycat Olive Garden Salad recipe maybe inspired by the popular restaurant chain, but is packed with fresh flavors and ingredients, making it better!
La Barbecue Charro Beans – Charro Beans are a popular side dish here in Texas and today I’m sharing a copycat charro bean recipe from a popular Austin, Texas restaurant.
For more recipes, cooking tips and behind the scenes fun, subscribe to our newsletter or follow Kitchen Concoctions on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!
Homemade Spaghettios
This made from scratch version of a childhood classic, Homemade Spaghettios, uses wholesome pantry staples to make an irresistible lunch recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or half and half
- 2 cups tiny ring-shaped pasta, like anellini pasta
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the tomato paste and stir, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic and brown sugar.
- Stir in the vinegar and vegetable stock, stirring until everything is mixed through and the mixture is smooth.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Once simmering, stir in the pasta. Cook, stirring often, for 15-18 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked and the soup is a bit thicker. Add additional broth if needed to continue cooking pasta,
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese and milk, stirring until cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Leave a Reply