This homemade spaghettios copycat recipe brings all the nostalgia of eating canned spaghettios as a kid! This copycat recipe is spot on in all areas: taste, texture and visually looks just like the canned version. But the best part is that this is the healthy version, free of additives and preservatives. It’s also cooked in homemade vegetable broth, which adds another dimension of flavor and nutrients!

How to make homemade spaghettios?

This homemade spaghettios copycat recipe requires quite a bit of steps but it’s totally worth it in the end. I’ve seen many variations of this recipe but I find that this recipe will yield the best results.

I like to cook the pasta in homemade vegetable broth. I first saw this idea in a reel posted by Yummy Toddler Food. This adds flavor and extra nutrients to the spaghettios. I also like to make a cheese sauce separately and add it at the end, because it’s a fail proof method of combining the pasta sauce with cheese. Cheddar cheese can be tricky, and if you don’t incorporate it correctly, it may not melt properly. And the last thing you want are clumps of cheddar cheese that won’t melt, all throughout your pasta. 

I also don’t like adding milk directly to the pasta sauce because there’s always a risk that your sauce can curdle. The acid in the tomato sauce can easily curdle the milk if not incorporated correctly. That’s another reason why I prefer making the cheese sauce separately. 

Can I cook homemade spaghettios in a crockpot?

The short answer is yes, but I highly recommend that you don’t! Hear me out… I have made this recipe in a crockpot, and although it turned out good (as seen in my YouTube short) I experienced many hiccups along the way (behind the scenes) which helped me come up with this method instead. Here’s what went wrong with the crockpot version… 

• After adding the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, milk and pasta to the crockpot and cooking for about 30 minutes, my sauce curdled. 
• I was able to fix the sauce with a frother, which helped it come back together again. But at this point the pasta was a bit over cooked and becoming sticky. 
• I added a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and it did not melt properly. It clumped immediately and I had to remove it. 

So although it is completely possible to cook this dish in a crockpot, it will require close attention and some extra steps which kind of defeats the purpose of using a crockpot in the first place.

How to cook the mini meatballs?

I use a pretty standard recipe to make the meatball mixture. I like to add an egg, bread crumbs, milk and seasonings. I then form meatballs the size of Hershey’s kisses and cook them in a skillet. Since they are so small they cook fairly quickly. Alternatively, you could bake them or cook them in the sauce. But I prefer cooking them in a skillet because they brown nicely and that enhances their flavor.

Please leave me a star rating and review!

If you enjoy this homemade spaghettios copycat recipe, please leave me a 5 star review and comment at the bottom of this blog post! Your feedback makes me so HAPPY and this also makes it easier for my recipes to be found on Google. THANK YOU in advance!

If you’d like my recipes sent straight to your inbox, subscribe to my email list here. Remember to tag me @curlsnpearlsss.eats in any photos of this recipe you post on social media. I love seeing your posts, it really makes my day!

Follow me on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest!

Homemade Spaghettios Copycat Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

Spaghettios

• 16 oz anellini pasta
• 12 oz pasta sauce
• 6 oz Campbell's tomato soup
• parmesan cheese, to taste

Cheese sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Vegetable broth

• 6 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chicken or vegetable bouillon paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, diced

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

Vegetable broth

• Add olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots and celery until fragrant. Add water and bouillon paste, bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Blend in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Meatballs

• Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together until well combined. Form mini meatballs, about the size of a Hershey's kiss.
• Add meatballs to skillet over medium heat and sear until brown on all sides. Cover and continue to cook on low heat until fully cooked through.

Spaghettios

• In a soup pot, add vegetable broth, pasta sauce, tomato soup and anellini pasta. Simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes or until pasta is cooked through. Stir occasionally to prevent pasta from getting sticky or sticking to the bottom of pot.

Cheese sauce

• In a small saucepan, add butter and flour. Cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until flour cooks through. Add milk and stir until it thickens a bit. Add cheddar cheese and stir until completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Once the spaghettios are cooked through, add the cheese sauce and meatballs. Stir until well combined. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Video

Check out my other delicious recipes! 

Chick fil A Nuggets Copycat Recipe

Puerto Rican Meatballs in Sofrito Sauce

Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs 

Taco Bell Copycat Crunchwrap