Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs is a nostalgic dish that everyone loves! It combines O-shaped pasta and tiny meatballs in a simple homemade spaghetti sauce.
Easy Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs
Skip the canned stuff and make our easy Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs! Serve with some crusty garlic bread and a Caesar salad on the side for a complete meal.
Both kids and grownups love this recipe thanks to the fun o-shaped pasta, mini meatballs, and delicious tomato sauce. And grown-ups especially love the nostalgia in every bite.
The homemade sauce in this recipe is a version of our very popular Italian Tomato Sauce recipe – but we added some sugar at the end for a slightly sweeter taste that mimics the canned version. You can leave the sugar out if you prefer.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- O-Shaped Pasta – This is really the star of the show and you can’t make Spaghetti-Os without it. We bought this brand online.
- For the Sauce – Canned whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, unsalted butter, half and half or light cream, Parmesan cheese, seasonings, and spices.
- For the Meatballs – We used ground turkey, whole egg, seasoned breadcrumbs, seasonings, and spices. If you prefer, you can make your meatballs with a combination of ground beef and pork instead.
Tips & Tricks
We added some sugar to the tomato sauce to mimic the sweeter taste of the canned variety of Spaghetti-Os. You can leave it out if you prefer.
Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs
Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs is a nostalgic dish that everyone loves! It combines O-shaped pasta and tiny meatballs in a simple homemade spaghetti sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: pasta, entree
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian American
Ingredients
8 ounces O-shaped pasta
Meatballs
1 pound ground turkey
1 whole egg
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Sauce
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons light cream or half and half
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package direction but before draining, save a cup of pasta water. Drain and rinse cooked pasta with cold water. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a medium sheet tray with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, mix all meatball ingredients and scoop out balls using a one-ounce scoop. Then cut each ball into quarters and roll each tiny meatball. There should be about 85 mini balls.
- Line up meatballs onto the prepared pan and bake for ten minutes.
- While meatballs are cooking, in a large saucepan, place all sauce ingredients and puree with an immersion blender, or blend in a regular blender and pour into the pan.
- Add the cooked meatballs, bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta and bring heat back up. Add a little pasta water to get the right consistency.
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Homemade Spaghetti-Os with Meatballs ahead of time? Yes. You can make the meatballs and sauce ahead of time, then cook the pasta just before serving.
- How do I store leftovers? Pour into a covered container and refrigerate for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or reheat the entire pot on the stove top, adding a little water or some more sauce to loosen up the sauce.
- Can I freeze this dish? You can freeze the sauce and meatballs, but we think the pasta is best freshly cooked.
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Sounds Quick and easy to make. I plan to make it soon for our family get together
Hope you all enjoy the recipe Louise!