Homemade Spaghetti Os
Posted Feb 12, 2024
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This homemade Spaghetti Os recipe is significantly more delicious than canned varieties. It’s easy to make in 20 minutes and is so good your kids will lick the bowl clean!
This homemade spaghetti os recipe is one of my all-time favorites. Unlike their canned counterpart, I absolutely cannot stop eating these spaghettios whenever I make them – which is often because they’re easy to make in 20 minutes!
O-shaped pasta is cooked then combined with a rich, flavorful tomato-based sauce that is out of this world delicious. Seriously, it’s so good your kid (ok, I really mean you), will lick the bowl clean.
Plus, with homemade spaghetti os, you skip the preservatives, dyes, and additives used in the canned varieties – especially if you use organic ingredients.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- O-shaped pasta (Anellini). You really can use any pasta shape you’d like in this recipe and it will taste great. For nostalgia’s sake, I use O-shaped noodles.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter works well.
- Tomato sauce & paste. I suggest using organic varieties for the best results.
- Heavy cream. this makes the sauce super rich and delicious. You can substitute half and half or whole milk if you must.
- Garlic/Onion powder. I chose to use powders for the most authentic taste, and because some of my kids don’t like onions. You can sauté minced garlic and finely diced onions instead of the powders if you prefer.
- Honey. granulated sugar is good substitute.
- Cheddar cheese. I prefer medium cheddar for this recipe, but any kind will do.
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti O’s
We’ll walk through this recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by cooking the Anellini pasta in salted water until al dente.
Then, drain the pasta but do not rinse, because unrinsed pasta will absorb the sauce best.
Next, make the sauce by combining butter, tomato sauce, tomato paste, heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika sea salt, pepper, and honey in a 5 quart saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until it just begins to bubble (when you see one or two bubbles) and the butter is melted, stirring often.
Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and add cheddar cheese, whisk until melted.
Finally, stir in the in cooked pasta.
Serve
Serve these homemade spaghettios warm as a meal all their own, or with your favorite sides. Here are some suggestions:
- Serve with roasted vegetables like: roasted broccoli, roasted carrots, asparagus and Brussels sprouts.
- Try these green salads: burrata salad, kale salad, panzanella salad, spinach salad, and broccoli salad.
- In true nostalgic food fashion, you can serve them with homemade chicken nuggets or homemade meatballs.
Store/Freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, or in the microwave.
Spaghetti Os Recipe FAQS
You can add meat (like grilled chicken, meatballs, chicken nuggets), etc. to make this a heartier meal. Or you can add some flavor with hot sauce, crushed red pepper, etc. I like to sneak in some shredded zucchini while I’m cooking the sauce sometimes too.
It’s a tomato-based sauce with spices, cheese and cream.
Yes, you can double this recipe easily.
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Homemade Spaghetti Os Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 2 cups O-shaped pasta (Anellini Pasta)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water until al dente.
- Drain but do not rinse
- Combine butter, tomato sauce, tomato paste, heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika sea salt, pepper, and honey in a 5 quart saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat until it just begins to bubble (when you see one or two bubbles).
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add cheddar cheese, whisk until melted.
- Stir in cooked pasta.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- O-shaped pasta (Anellini). You really can use any pasta shape you’d like in this recipe and it will taste great. For nostalgia’s sake, I use O-shaped noodles.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter works well.
- Tomato sauce & paste. I suggest using organic varieties for the best results.
- Heavy cream. this makes the sauce super rich and delicious. You can substitute half and half or whole milk if you must.
- Garlic/Onion powder. I chose to use powders for the most authentic taste, and because some of my kids don’t like onions. You can sauté minced garlic and finely diced onions instead of the powders if you prefer.
- Honey. granulated sugar is good substitute.
- Cheddar cheese. I prefer medium cheddar for this recipe, but any kind will do.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made tonight, loved it! Had to sub stewed tomatoes for the canned sauce, but hit them with immersion blender. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Thank you CJ! We absolutely LOVE this recipe, so it always makes me happy when others do too!
My daughter came upon this recipe and asked me to make it. We had it for dinner tonight and it was a HIT. Thank you
I’m SO glad you love this recipe! It’s one of my favorites in my 2024 posting lineup for sure!