I’ll admit it, I’ve eaten my fair share of the canned version of this meal. It was never all that satisfying, it was really all about the quick and easy factor. Now that I’m older (and hopefully a little wiser) and actually read product labels, I understand why it’s not exactly the best choice. But a homemade version – one that can be on the table in not much more than 30 minutes AND is also pretty healthy? Well that’s a recipe I just had to try.
This recipe comes from the America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, which is one I’ve really been loving since I bought it last year. I probably wouldn’t have been terribly intrigued by this recipe had it not also included the mini meatballs – I always went for the Spaghetti-O’s with meatballs, never just the plain ones. These meatballs are made with ground chicken, and just two other ingredients – pesto and breadcrumbs – so they’re simple to throw together, but they also pack a lot of flavor. They’re poached in the thick tomato sauce right alongside the pasta which keeps them moist too. I wasn’t able to find ring shaped pasta for my homemade Spaghetti-O’s but ditalini was a good substitute. I was slightly nervous about serving this meal to Shane (I wasn’t sure the tomato-based sauce would go over well), but he seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did. Not surprisingly, it’s light years better than anything that comes from a can! It’s great comfort food too, and comfort food I don’t feel at all guilty about enjoying π
Homemade Spaghetti-O’s with Meatballs
from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
6 oz ground chicken
3 tablespoons pesto (homemade or store-bought)
3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
1 small celery rib, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
4 oz (about 1 cup) ditalini pasta (or other small shape)
Parmesan cheese (for garnish, optional)
In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, pesto, breadcrumbs, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Use your hands to gently mix until well combined. Form the mixture into small meatballs (each about 3/4-inch round) using a heaping teaspoon measure. You’ll get about 28 meatballs – set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. When it shimmers, add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chicken broth and tomatoes (with their juice), scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrot is softened.
Turn off the heat under the pot and puree the soup with an immersion blender until very smooth (or, if you don’t have one, in a traditional blender – you’ll probably want to do it in 2 batches).
Set the soup back over medium heat and return to a simmer. Add the pasta and meatballs and continue simmering for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta and meatballs are cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
(You can make the soup ahead and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for 2 months. Gently reheat over medium-low heat.)
this looks so amazing. I just want to have an entire bowl of it right now! for breakfast! haha π
I have a homemade spaghetti-o’s recipe as well, but I haven’t added the meatballs yet. Thanks for the idea! It’s interesting to see how our recipes differ, but I’m sure they both taste better than the canned version! http://ovenlove.blogspot.com/2009/04/homemade-spaghetti-os.html
I ate the canned stuff too and agree it was never the greatest either. So excited to try a homemade version!
Fun! Makes me feel ten again π
I love this idea! My 6 year old is a big fan of the canned version, would love to make these for him instead!
Bookmarking this one right now! I don’t think my girls have ever eaten Spaghetti-Os, but I ate plenty of them as a kid. We never got the ones with meatballs, though. =)
I’ll have to give this one a try – I’m sure my kids would love it. My mother never bought Spaghettios – and I confess I don’t buy them either – but they ARE tasty and comforting. I’m sure the homemade version is even better.
I think I’ve seen those little ring pastas at Trader Joe’s – although they change their stock so often, who knows if they still carry them. I think I also used to see them at Shaw’s, which had a better pasta selection than S&S for some reason.
I am guilty of indulging in the canned version, all though it has been many years since I have. It was back in my single days, pre-marriage and kids. This looks great, Tracey! Thanks for sharing. Would love to try it and I do believe we would have some fans here.
Confort food is so good!!!
Kisses
Rita
Yum, Yum, Yum!! That looks delish. Thanks for sharing – I can’t wait to try out the recipe. π
filling meal looks wonderful
Oh gosh! This is so fun. I’m definitely going to have to try this on my kids sometime. π
Oh my goodness! I’m a sucker for spaghetti-o’s but never thought to make them at home!
i don’t remember seeing this recipe in the cookbook but it sounds so fun!! i don’t think i’ve had spaghetti-o’s in like 15 years π
I absolutely have to make this. My husband loves the canned version so very much to this day and I would love to be able to make a healthy substitute!
This recipe looks great…I have to admit that even as a child I was never a fan of the canned version.
This looks amazing… I want it for dinner tonight!
Ditalini? You should call this spaghetti-zits. (That’s just a joke.) It sounds very appetizing. Wouldn’t you think a person could get little pasta o’s?
Wow, I remember loving the taste of Spaghetti-O’s as a kid. I’ll have to make this recipe and relive a bit of my childhood!
I loved these when I was a kid but you would have to force me to eat them now. However, these are some sphaghetti O’s I could definitely eat. thanks for sharing.
Spaghetti-Os got me through college. I’ve got to try this!
So much better than the can:)
I haven’t had Spaghetti-Os in such a long ime, but my sister eats it like 3 times a week xD This looks absolutely delicious!
This looks like an amazing real food take on a classic childhood favorite!
Yum, a homemade version of Spaghetti-O’s, it looks so much better!
Love this idea…I cringe when my kids ask for the canned variety.
How fun! I haven’t had the canned version for a long time, but I ate my share when I was younger.
What a fun recipe. I ate my fair share of spaghetti-o’s as a kid. I can only imagine how much better a homemade version is. I think my Hubby would love this.
Uh O! Speghetti-Os. LOVED those when I was little. DAu and son too, and they are still good, kinda.
Now that you can make your own it will be hard to stop eating them.
Holy awesomeness. These were delicious– made for my husband (who worships canned meals if I don’t have time to provide) and an impromptu guest…. Doubled the amount of meatballs for extra heartiness. Sclafani makes just “o’s” in case you were still looking!! π Thanks for the share!
I used to love these as a kid! I can’t wait to try this homemade version!
This was a really great recipe. Thanks for sharing. I doubled/tweeked the meatball recipe and saved the extra half for frying up later in the week. It was great both ways. Thanks again.
http://whatthedogate.blogspot.com/2012/01/tomato-and-meatball-soup.html
This was really, really good! It’s just like the canned version but so much better because it’s homemade π We used lean chicken and whole wheat pasta to make it even more healthy.
Since we made it earlier on in the day for dinner, the pasta ended up soaking up some of the soup and ended up really soft, so I’d recommend others to add the pasta only right before serving! But it was still delicious π Thanks for the recipe!
I know this is a year old, but I was looking in the pasta aisle at Meijer and they have little alphabet shaped pasta for a Buck! I thought that might be a fun idea for homemade spaghettios.