This homemade spaghettiOs with meatballs recipe recreates your favorite flavors from the canned version, only better! O-shaped pasta and tender bite-sized meatballs are cooked in rich tomato sauce creating a delicious comfort meal. The ingredients are simple and it is easy to make.
"This recipe took me straight back to my childhood! The sauce was so much richer and tastier than the canned version, and the homemade meatballs were the perfect touch."
★★★★★-Catalina
My husband has a love affair with Chef Boyardee. Whenever I am out of town and not home to cook, he breaks out a can of either spaghetti and meatballs, beef ravioli, or spaghettiOs with meatballs.
He likes them because they are a very easy, inexpensive meal. Also, because they are nostalgic for him, reminding him of fond memories from his childhood.
I have to admit, I also loved spaghettiOs as a child myself. I loved spooning out and eating the little meatballs.
When I came across these O-shaped pasta at our Lowes Foods grocery store, I thought it would be fun to recreate a copycat recipe. It took a couple of tries, but I have to admit, it was a big success. My husband loved it.
The sauce was right on point with more depth of flavor. I think the only thing that might be off is the original version might use cheddar cheese. I wasn't sure how that would melt in the sauce, so I went with Parmesan. The homemade beef meatballs blew it out of the ball park....Lets face it, homemade meatballs will always be better than premade... especially compared to meatballs that are from a can.
I hope you love this spaghettios with meatballs recipe as much as we do and it brings a little fun to your dinner table. Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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SpaghettiO's ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following simple ingredients to make homemade spaghettiOs.
- Anelli pasta- Any ring shaped or O-shaped pasta will work. Anelli or Anellini pasta can sometimes be hard to find. I found my pasta a Lowe's Foods grocery store. However, you can also order it online at Walmart and Amazon.
- tomato paste
- butter- If you use salted butter, taste the sauce at the end to see if the sauce will need additional salt. Otherwise, your sauce may become too salty.
- garlic powder- Garlic powder works best for this to have no clumps.
- onion powder- Onion powder works best for this to have no clumps.
- Parmesan cheese- If you look on the ingredient label of the SpaghettiO's, it actually lists cheddar cheese. Therefore, you can substitute with cheddar cheese. I personally think the parmesan tastes lovely in this tomato sauce.
- water-The original sauce is very simple. To keep from competing with the tomato flavor, I do not add a bunch of seasonings. However, for more flavor, you could substitute with vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- sugar, salt, and pepper
Meatball ingredient notes and substitutions
Homemade meatballs are the best and worth the extra effort! They are relatively easy to make. You will need the following ingredients to make homemade mini meatballs. Otherwise, you can substitute with pre-made meatballs.
- ground beef- You can substitute with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- panko bread crumbs- You can substitute with regular bread crumbs.
- milk-I use whole milk. You can substitute with low fat or skim milk.
- egg
- garlic powder-Garlic powder will evenly distribute in the mixture better than minced garlic.
- onion powder-Because the meatballs are a small size, chopped onion could cause the meatballs to fall apart. For this reason, onion powder is a better choice. You can substitute with minced onion.
- Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
Watch how to make
Steps to make meatballs
Follow these steps to make homemade meatballs.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine milk and Panko bread crumbs. Allow the bread crumb mixture to sit while you put together the other meatball ingredients.
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add Panko bread crumb mixture and beaten egg. Mix until just combined trying not to over-mix.
- Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Roll meatballs into ½ inch balls (about 1 teaspoon of meatball mixture) and place on lined baking sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until meatballs are evenly browned. Remove from heat.
Steps to make homemade spaghettiOs
Follow these simple steps to make homemade spaghettiOs.
- In a large stockpot, melt butter. Add tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes for sauce to thicken.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta. You will need to continually stir the pasta so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once pasta is cooked, drain pasta.
- Add pasta to the tomato sauce and cook in the sauce 5 minutes.
- Gently fold in meatballs and parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and serve.
Meatball tip
This recipe uses small meatballs. For tiny meatballs similar to the size in the can, use ½ teaspoon of meatball mixture fore each ball. Adjust the baking time to 8-10 minutes or until evenly browned.
Please leave me a comment below if you make this homemade spaghettiOs with meatballs recipe and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post a picture of your spaghettios on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!.
📖 Recipe
Homemade SpaghettiOs with Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
SpaghettiOs Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounce tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups water
- 12 ounces Anelli pasta
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine milk and Panko bread crumbs. Allow the mixture to sit while you put together the other meatball ingredients.¼ cup Panko bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 egg
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, beaten egg, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add Panko bread crumb mixture. Mix until just combined trying not to over mix.1 pound ground beef, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Roll meatballs into ½ inch balls (about 1 teaspoon of meatball mixture) and place on lined baking sheet.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until meatballs are evenly browned. Remove from heat.
SpaghettiOs Sauce
- In a large stockpot, melt butter. Add tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined. Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes for sauce to thicken.4 tablespoons butter, 6 ounce tomato paste, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 4 cups water
- Meanwhile cook the pasta. You will need to continually stir the pasta so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once pasta is cooked, drain pasta.12 ounces Anelli pasta
- Add pasta to the sauce and cook in the sauce 5 minutes.
- Gently fold in meatballs and parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and serve.¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Pam says
This was fabulous!!!!! Sooooo much like the original! I will definitely make it again. I didn’t change a thing❤️
Jen says
Thank you so much for this! My kids LOVE spaghettiO's but I wanted to make them something a little less processed. They couldn't tell the difference and loved this.
Susan says
What size is a serving?
Katie Crenshaw says
About a cup.
Matt says
This one brings back so many childhood memories. The sauce has just the right balance, and it all comes together so well!
Catalina says
This recipe took me straight back to my childhood! The sauce was so much richer and tastier than the canned version, and the homemade meatballs were the perfect touch.
Cara says
This really brought back some memories! I had to go online to find the right pasta shape because my local store doesn't carry it. But the effort was totally worth it!