Growing up I never ate Spaghettio’s. No Chef Boyardee either. Sure, as a kid I got sucked into those cool commercials and begged my mom to get them for me but she knew better. I mean, who wants to eat Italian out of a can?! Now that I’m 30 and still have yet to try either, there is still that kid in me that wonders what the hell all the fuss was about. Well, luckily I came across Pennies On A Platter’s homemade version on Pinterest and I felt obligated to my 8 year old self to make it. Thank effing God I did because this was probably the best thing I’ve made in a while. It was so good that my husband literally was licking his bowl because he couldn’t get enough. It was so good that as I’m sitting here writing this at 10 pm, I am fighting every urge not get up and heat up a bowl! It’s that legit.
I pretty much made the recipe exactly like Pennies on a Platter, except I omitted the red pepper flakes because I didn’t want it to be too spicy for the lil one. It took less than 15 minutes to prepare and I am kicking myself for not doubling the recipe…there’s always next time! Because lets face it, when your husband is licking his bowl you are making this until he gets sick of it!
so.freaking.delicious
Homemade Spaghettio’s
Recipe adapted from Pennies on a Platter
- Ditallini pasta
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic cloves, pressed (I grated mine)
- 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup Water
- 1 TBS Tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 4 TBS Unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- Pinch of red pepper (optional)
In a pot, boil water for your pasta. Add some salt to the water and cook till al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, take a medium/large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add Olive oil and garlic til it becomes fragrant. Should be about 30 seconds. If you are using red pepper flakes, add them with the garlic and olive oil. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, pepper, salt, sugar and butter. Mix well until butter has fully melted. Slowly stir in the milk and turn the heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Next stir in the shredded cheese and continue to stir until it has melted. Once the pasta is cooked, drained and in a serving dish, pour on as much or as little of the cheesy, tomato-y mixture as you like and serve! If you have sauce left over, you can always freeze it for another night 
Just watch out, your family and friends might end the meal licking the bowl clean!!
Thanks again to Pennies on a Platter for creating this AMAZING homemade version of Spaghettio’s. You are genius!
– Amanda
