Uh oh, spaghettios. This healthy homemade spaghettios recipe tastes even better than the real thing!
The original SpaghettiOs
More than 150 million cans of Campbell’s SpaghettiOs are sold each year, many of which are consumed by children.
There’s just something about those cute little os in the cheesy tomato sauce that’s impossible to resist.
SpaghettiOs were a common sight in my own elementary school lunchbox, much to the bemusement of my traditional Italian grandmother.
I remember her once picking up a can, reading the label, and saying to me, “This is NOT food.”
When Campbell’s introduced the idea of canned spaghetti back in 1965, I think she may have cried.
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Above, watch the homemade spaghettio recipe video
Easy homemade spaghettios recipe
With kids still in school for a few more weeks, it seemed like a good time to try and create a homemade spaghettios recipe.
But this one has no high fructose corn syrup or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Healthy spaghettios! And yes, they fit perfectly into a lunchbox thermos.
Pack them up alongside a few healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Black Bean Brownies, or these Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Healthy spaghettios ingredients
I used anellini pasta for a traditional Spaghetti Os shape, but you can easily substitute whatever small pasta shape you have on hand.
The spaghetti Os can be dairy free, egg free, soy free, vegan, low fat, low calorie, and added sugar free. For gluten free homemade Spaghettios, just use a gluten free pasta.
They even make gluten free quinoa anellini if you want a true SpaghettiOs shape but wish to keep it gluten free.
Nutritional yeast is a completely natural, and very healthy, product that can be found at Whole Foods, on Amazon, or in the natural food section of many regular grocery stores. It is high in protein and boasts an impressive list of vitamins.
Don’t get it confused with brewers yeast or the yeast you’d use for bread. Here, nutritional yeast is used as a vegan alternative to Parmesan cheese. It gives the homemade spaghettios a deliciously cheesy flavor.
For vegan spaghettios, use dairy free butter and plant based milk. I have not tried the recipe with oil instead of butter. We did try a fat free version and were not fans. So we do not recommend omitting it.
These homemade Spaghettios are Italian-grandma approved!
How to make homemade spaghettios
Combine the onion powder, paprika, sweetener, nutritional yeast or Parmesan, salt, milk of choice, no salt added tomato sauce, and butter in a small saucepan.
Bring the pasta sauce to a boil. Then lower the heat and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until hot.
While the red sauce is cooking, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
Once the water starts to boil, throw in the pasta and cook according to package directions or until desired pasta texture is reached. (I like al dente pasta.)
Drain, then pat dry with a towel. Pour the pasta into the sauce, and stir to coat the spaghettios. Serve hot.
Leftover spaghettios can be stored in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Reheat leftovers on the stove top or in the microwave, adding a little milk of choice as needed to get the sauce creamy again.
Although you technically can freeze pasta, it will change the texture of both the noodles and the sauce. So I do not recommend freezing leftover pasta in general.
Using a food scale
If you wish to use gram measurements instead of the cups and tablespoons listed further below, here are the amounts to use in grams:
130 grams of pasta, 425 grams of tomato sauce, 12 grams of Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, 30 grams of milk (plant based milks work too), 10 grams butter spread, and 12 grams of sweetener.
Also remember to add in the onion powder, salt, and paprika.
Homemade Spaghettios
Ingredients
- 15 oz no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp to 1 tsp salt, as desired
- 1 tbsp butter (vegan brands work too)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or Parmesan
- 1-2 tbsp any sweetener of choice
- 1 cup uncooked tiny pasta of choice (If using a larger pasta, such as elbows, increase to 2 cups)
Instructions
- Homemade SpaghettiOs Recipe: In a small saucepan, stir together all ingredients except the pasta. Bring to a boil, then lower and cook on low until the butter spread melts completely. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, throw in the pasta and cook until desired texture is reached. Drain, then pat dry with a towel. Pour the pasta into the sauce, and stir to combine. Serve. Before reheating any leftovers, stir and add a little milk of choice as needed.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
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I am so glad I have not grown up eating canned pasta. I may sound like a food snob saying that, but it is true, and I am so grateful that I have my flavorful and healthful Indian foods! This looks really good, though I have never had nutritional yeast.
I love it! Being dairy free you just don’t get things like spaghetti-os. I’ll have to try this one soon 🙂
Awww such a cute photo! Yeah, I definitely ate these like it was my job when I was a kid LOL
Such a cute idea! If I were still a Nanny, I’d totally make these for the kiddos since they always loved this stuff.
I’m not a huge spaghetti o person myself, but the sauce sounds mighty tasty:)
I love this idea! I am a teacher and I see soooo many cans of spaghetti o’s floating around my classroom. I wish more parents prepared the healthy-versions of their kiddos favorite meals. I may have to suggest this one around 🙂
Ahh, just seeing the title of your post today brought back so many fond memories! I was one of the few children who loved bringing hot lunches (i.e. a canned pasta or something of that nature in a thermos). Yum!
I’m pretty lucky that my parents always fed me regular home cooked food! I rarely ate what Americans think of as “kid food” and as a result have never been picky my whole life. Thanks Mom and Dad! (There was definitely a time I went back up for thirds of spinach quiche my teacher brought in in 1st grade when all the other kids couldn’t take down one bite).
How does your grandma make her pasta? All the homemade pastas I’ve made have eggs in them.
I guess I’m confused… this pasta is storebought :).
Ohhhh got it. Storebought is vegan for sure. I was just thinking she may make the homemade kind 🙂 Which by the way is amazing if there’s a way to make it vegan!
I’m sure there must be a way… just google homemade vegan pasta and results are sure to pop up. After all, they make vegan fried calamari now (scary). Pasta should be easy ;).
Hi,
you can simply substitute the egg(s) with water. Yum, home made pasta!
Why is that scary? Recipes call for hearts of palm or oyster mushrooms.
Not all store brought pasta is vegan
You have to check for eggs in egg noodles
I like this recipe for homemade whole wheat pasta and it happens to be completely vegan. (My husband even likes it, and he’s not a person who likes whole wheat unless it’s actually good.) http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/10/rustic-pasta-soaked-grain-recipe.html
We really needed this one! To my shame, I share that my kids *love* Spaghetti-o’s.
Omg, my life is complete! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
we love making our own version of these…VERY kid friendly