This Homemade Spaghetti-Os recipe and post was originally written on February 15th, 2012. It was updated with new photos and blog post February 10th, 2017.
When I was little I would eat Spaghetti-Os as often as my mom would let me. I wanted them for lunch and dinner, it didn’t really matter what time it was I loved Spaghetti-Os. I still have a little tiny thermos from when I was in Elementary school, the one my mom used to pack my lunches, and the inside is stained orange from all of the Spaghetti-Os she sent me to lunch with.
This,of course, was long before everyone started to loose their minds over what parents could pack and couldn’t pack their kids for lunch. Growing up my lunches consisted of Spaghetti-Os or a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich, a fruit roll up and sometimes I’d get a jello pudding cup or a swiss roll cake. Later on in school I graduated to pizza lunchables but I continued to love my Spaghetti-Os.
However about 5 or 6 years ago Thomas and I really started to look at our food choices more. We started making better choices and put a limit on our processed foods. About 3 years ago we tried the Whole 30 challenge where we cut out processed foods for an entire month and while I hated it with a passion it changed my taste buds.
While I still love some junk food, I don’t go crazy over like I once did. Not only do I not go crazy over junk but some of the taste different to me too.A year or so ago I picked up a few cans of Spaghetti-Os at the store one day. I didn’t feel good and wasn’t in the mood to make anything at all and guess what. While they tasted ok, they were not the beloved Spaghetti-Os that I remembered from my childhood.
I was crushed.
Homemade Spaghetti-Os
Homemade Spaghetti-Os
If you loved Spaghetti-Os as a kid, you're going to want to print out this recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-Os and make it for dinner soon!
Ingredients
- 52 ounces of spaghetti sauce (I used Hunts Four Cheese Sauce)
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups whole milk (or whatever kind you drink)
- 4 cups cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 16 ounces Ditalini pasta, uncooked
Instructions
In a large pot mix together the sauce, water and milk. Bring to a boil.
Once it reaches a bowl, stir in the cheese and turn it down to a simmer. Continue to stir until the cheese is melted.
Add in the garlic and stir.
Pour in the uncooked pasta. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally during the first 5-6 minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Check the pasta after 20 minutes, if it's not as soft as you'd like cook it a little longer. Sauce will thicken even more over time
Rachel Cooks says
This looks so fantastic!
Wendi Leopold says
do you think this could be made in the crock pot? Maybe make sauce on stove and transfer in to crock pot to cook off the pasta?
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
not sure. Never tried it like that before.
Dawn Rudisill says
Made this tonight and it was awesome. It makes a bunch. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I”m so glad that you liked them!
Haliegh says
I am on a canning kick right now, I think I am going to make a bunch of this and can it!
BreAnn Boehner Alvey says
You meant spaghetti sauce; I used actual tomato sauce and it was so runny that it ended up more like soup. Will have to try this with spaghetti sauce next time.
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Hi BreAnn! I’m so sorry! We call spaghetti sauce tomato sauce here! Or at least we do. I did put in parentheses that I used Hunts Four Cheese Sauce so that people would know what I used but I didn’t know there was a difference in tomato sauce and Spaghetti sauce other than the seasoning. So Sorry.
Kelly says
you should correct your recipe, or delete & rewrite it. I just made the tomato sauce–I just figured you had a flavored kind that I didn’t have at my store. now i’m worried i’ll have to toss the batch. baby will be awake soon!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Hi Kelly,
I’ve gone back in and re-written it to just say “spaghetti sauce”. We call it tomato sauce here so that’s how I wrote it out, I thought by putting that exactly brand and name of which can I used that it would eliminate confusion.
For the taste you can add a few extra spices like oregano and thyme and if you need to thicken it more, a touch of cornstarch will thicken it up. Also simmering it for a little longer will thicken it as well.
Biggest difference in the spaghetti sauce and the tomato sauce is the spices that are added to the “spaghetti sauce”. 🙂
I know that one reader said the tomato sauce was watery but I’ve never had watery tomato sauce. Tomato soup is somewhat watery but every can of tomato sauce I’ve ever used as the same thickness as spaghetti sauce.
Sorry that there was a misunderstanding.
Sheree Hyde says
In reply to: Kelly
Add some spice to your finished dish. No need to be rude. Didn’t you learn to play with your food?
jt says
huh, looks like you shouldn’t be such a dick and comment criticizing peoples’ recipes, but still not have enough chops to not recreate “spaghetti-O” on your own. or spend $0.49 to just buy the real thing… what an asshole. -love, jt
Kelly says
I used tomato sauce in the recipe today for my baby grandson. I thought the recipe was very good with just the tomato sauce. There was plenty of cheese in it to give the sauce a great savory flavor. I will make this again. Thank you!
Melanie says
I featured this in my blog – so yummy! Even the leftovers were great and I never eat leftovers!
http://www.mostlyundercontrol.com/2015/08/meal-planning-monday-homemade-spaghetti.html
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Love the idea of adding meatballs to it!
Debi Anderson says
After reading your story about wanting to eat better I was so surprised that you used a canned pasta sauce. I try not to use to many from a can or a jar. I could see using my own pasta sauce instead of the can sauce. I hope that it works. My kids too so loved the can stuff.
Angie says
I said I wanted to eat better, not perfect. Plus you can get some pretty great pasta sauces in jars these days that are organic and less than 5 ingredients. HOWEVER, with that being said, not all of my readers want to make their own sauce or buy $5 jars of organic sauce. So, I try to write and test the recipes like most people around here will make it and then if I want to use homemade sauce when I make it for myself, I use homemade sauce. But even with using sauce in a can, it’s got far less “junk” in it than the canned spaghettios
Angie says
If shouldn’t matter if the sauce is from a can or homemade, it should work the same 🙂
Catherine says
What a great idea! You could even add crumbled sausage or hamburger meat to make it a full meal!
Angie says
ooo great idea!
Jennifer says
I tried this recipe and really was hoping that it was going to work. It was super runny and virtually tasteless.
I think without the water it would most likely be good. Way to much water
Angie says
hi Jennifer, Sorry it didn’t turn out for you. How long did you let it simmer? It needs the water to cook the pasta.
Robin Horrigan says
Ugh. Super annoyed now reading these comments. You really need to update this recipe. It doesn’t matter what you “call” something where you live. This product’s name is tomato sauce and it is not the same thing as a jar of pasta sauce. I assumed we just didn’t have a four cheese flavor of Hunts canned tomato sauce.
I have a soupy inedible meal now.
Angie says
It was already updated BEFORE your comment. It IS PASTA SAUCE. The Hunts brand that I use is PASTA SAUCE. Tomato Sauce AND PASTA SAUCE are exactly the same thing. The ONLY difference is that pasta sauce has spices added to it already.
Cara says
I made this as written. I usually don’t like what I call crap food (anything from a can) but my husband does. But I thought since it’s homemade I would give it a try. It was delicious! To anyone who says that it’s has too much liquid I suggest that you cook the pasta until it is al dente. Then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for about an hour. The pasta will not be mushy and it will thicken up.