Name: Homemade Spaghettios Copycat Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 16 oz anellini pasta; 4 tbsp butter; 4 cloves garlic; 28 oz tomato sauce; 4 cups chicken broth; 2 tbsp sugar; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/4 tsp paprika (optional); salt and black pepper (to taste); 1/2 cup heavy cream; 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded); grated parmesan cheese (to taste); 1 lb ground beef; 1 egg; 1/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese; 1 tsp ketchup; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp oregano; salt and pepper (to taste)

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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.

Ingredients for making spaghettios:

Anellini pasta
Butter
Garlic
Tomato sauce
Chicken broth
Sugar
Onion powder
Heavy cream
Sharp cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Black pepper

How to make homemade spaghettios?

I’ve seen many variations of this recipe but I find that this recipe will yield the best results. It’s simple and the flavor is spot on.

If you have children and want to add extra nutrients to the recipe you can 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.

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. Add a splash of water, cover and continue to cook on low heat until fully cooked through.

Spaghettios

Place a large pot over medium heat. Add butter and garlic. Sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, sugar, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. If you prefer a thicker sauce, use 3 cups of broth. If you prefer a thinner sauce, use 4 cups of broth. Stir well, then bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-low. Make sure the pasta is completely covered in the sauce/broth. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking together or to the bottom of the pot. Once the pasta is fully cooked, add the heavy cream and stir to combine.

Add in the mini meatballs, cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Taste and adjust the amount of seasonings, as needed. Serve with more grated parmesan on top. Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

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 a ton of 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, grated parmesan cheese and seasonings. Then, I 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.

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