Homemade SpaghettiOs – Recipe

Oh oh spaghettios. This healthy homemade spaghetti recipe tastes even better than the original!

Healthy spaghetti recipe in the Le Creuset stoneware mini round cocotte

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 you can’t resist about these cute little oxen in cheesy tomato sauce.

SpaghettiOs were a common sight in my own elementary school lunch box, much to the amazement of my traditional Italian grandmother.

I remember once she picked up a can, read the label and said to me, “This is NOT food.”

When Campbell’s came up with the idea of canned spaghetti in 1965, she must have cried.

Readers also like this vegan alfredo sauce

Watch the homemade spaghetti recipe video above

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Recipe

With the kids still having a few weeks of school, it seemed like a good time to create a homemade spaghetti recipe.

But this one doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup or ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Healthy spaghetti! And yes, they fit perfectly in a lunchbox thermos.

Pack them along with some healthy banana oatmeal cookies, black bean brownies, or these healthy chocolate chip cookies.

Healthy spaghetti ingredients

I used Anellini pasta for a traditional spaghetti O-shape, but you can easily substitute any small pasta shape you have on hand.

The spaghetti os can be dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, vegan, low-fat, low-calorie, and no added sugar. For gluten-free homemade spaghettios, just use a gluten-free pasta.

They even make gluten free quinoa anellini if you want a true spaghetti os shape but want it to remain gluten free.

Nutritional yeast is an all-natural and very healthy product available from Whole Foods, on Amazon, or in the health food section of many regular grocery stores. It’s high in protein and boasts an impressive list of vitamins.

Don’t confuse it with brewer’s yeast or the yeast you would use for bread. Here nutritional yeast is used as a vegan alternative to Parmesan cheese. It gives the homemade spaghetti a wonderfully cheesy taste.

Use non-dairy butter and plant-based milk for vegan spaghetti. I haven’t tried the recipe with oil instead of butter. We tried a fat-free version and weren’t fans. So we don’t recommend leaving it out.

These homemade spaghettios are a favorite with Italian grannies!

How to make homemade spaghetti

In a small saucepan, combine onion powder, paprika, sweetener, nutritional yeast or Parmesan, salt, milk of your choice, unsalted tomato sauce, and butter.

Bring the pasta sauce to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until hot.

While the red sauce is cooking, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.

Once the water begins to boil, add the noodles and cook according to package directions or until desired noodle texture is achieved. (I like al dente pasta.)

Drain and then pat dry with a towel. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat the spaghetti. Serve hot.

Leftover spaghetti can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Reheat leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little milk of your choice as needed to whip up the sauce again.

Although you can technically freeze pasta, doing so changes the texture of both the pasta and the sauce. As such, I generally do not recommend freezing leftover pasta.

Using a food scale

If you would like to use gram measures instead of the cups and tablespoons listed below, here are the amounts in grams to use:

130 grams of pasta, 425 grams of tomato sauce, 12 grams of Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, 30 grams of milk (plant-based milk works too), 10 grams of butter spread and 12 grams of sweetener.

Also remember to add onion powder, salt and paprika.

15 oz Tomato sauce with no added salt
2 tablespoon milk of your choice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp up to 1 tsp salt, as desired
1 tablespoon butter (vegan brands work too)
1/4 Cup nutritional yeast or parmesan
1-2 tablespoon any sweetener of your choice
1 Cup uncooked small noodles of your choice (If using larger noodles, such as elbow noodles, increase the amount to 2 cups.)

Homemade SpaghettiOs Recipe: In a small saucepan, stir together all the ingredients except the pasta. Bring to a boil, then lower and cook on low until butter spread melts completely. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Once it boils, add the pasta and cook until desired consistency is achieved. Drain and then pat dry with a towel. Add the noodles to the sauce and stir. Surcharge. Before reheating leftovers, stir and add a little milk of your choice as needed.View nutritional information