- January 24, 2024
- 30 Minute Meals
Homemade Spaghettios With Meatballs
Indulge in comfort food with Homemade Spaghettios & Meatballs! Easy, hearty & kid-friendly, made with tender meatballs & classic tomato sauce. Perfect family meal!
Why This Recipe Works
Elevated Nostalgia: If you grew up eating canned spaghettios, this elevated homemade spaghettios and meatballs recipe is here for you. It screams nostalgia but tastes so much better than the canned stuff! There is something so good about the small “o” shaped pasta with little scoop-able mini meatballs that is just so delicious. It’ll take you right back to childhood.
Dinner for Everyone: Homemade spaghettios with meatballs is a wonderful family-friendly meal that kids and adults will both love. It is tasty and decadent enough for adults yet simple enough for even the pickiest of eaters! Plus, it is easy to make and can be made in just 30 minutes for a comforting and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Supplies Needed
- Sauce Pot
- Large Skillet
- Tongs
Main Ingredients
Mini Meatballs:
- Ground Beef: Ground beef adds a rich and savory flavor to the homemade spaghettios with meatballs. If you prefer, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic helps to season the meat!
- Bread Crumbs: I used Italian bread crumbs here to add extra flavor. If you have regular bread crumbs, you can use them instead!
- Parmesan Cheese: Add some parmesan cheese for added flavor.
Egg: The egg helps the meatballs stay in ball form! - Fresh Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a bright, herby flavor.
- Spices: Salt and red pepper flakes are all you need to season these meatballs up to perfection!
Spaghettios:
- Garlic: The sauce starts to build flavor with aromatic garlic!
- Tomato Paste & Puree: A combination of tomato paste and tomato puree will be the base of the tomato sauce.
- Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is an easy and convenient way to quickly get a lot of flavor into the spaghettios sauce.
- Anelli Siciliani Pasta: Basically, you can just any “o” shaped pasta. If you can’t find this shape, any small-shaped pasta would work including orzo or pastina.
Step By Step Instructions
How to make mini meatballs:
- Prep Meat Mixture: Begin by preparing the meatballs by combining the ground beef, garlic, Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, fresh parsley, and seasonings. Mix by hand until fully combined.
- Create Meatballs: Using a teaspoon, scoop the ground beef mixture and roll the ground beef mixture into a small meatball. Place on a baking sheet and continue to do this until you have used all of the ground beef.
- Sear: In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet to brown for 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the meatballs and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
Making the Spaghettios:
- Sauté Garlic: Add the additional 1 tsp of oil to the same skillet that you cooked the meatballs in. Add in the garlic and sauté on low heat for 1 minute or so.
- Make Sauce: Pour in the tomato puree, tomato paste, and seasonings. Mix and let the sauce cook on low heat.
- Add Meatballs: Add the meatballs back into the sauce and fold them in so they are fully coated and leave it on low heat.
- Cook Pasta: While the meatballs continue to cook in the sauce, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Mix Everything Together: Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce and meatballs and stir to combine. Remove your homemade spaghettios with meatballs from the heat, garnish with basil and extra parmesan cheese, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
SpaghettiOs are canned pasta that consists of “o” shaped pasta in a thick tomato sauce and sometimes features mini meatballs, depending on the kind of spaghettios you buy. It is kind of like soup, where you open the can and heat it easily on the stove. They are very popular with kids!
Store any leftover homemade spaghettios with meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can simply reheat the leftovers in the microwave until heated through. I don’t recommend freezing cooked pasta, however, you can make a double batch of meatballs and freeze half of them for later use!
More Recipes To Try
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Gnocchi Cheeseburger Skillet
- Butter Chicken Meatballs
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For The Spaghettios
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 19.5 oz. Tomato Puree
- 3 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 cups Anellini Siciliani Pasta (O shaped pasta)
Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbsp Fresh Parsley minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the meatballs by combining the ground beef, garlic, Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, fresh parsley, and seasonings. Mix by hand until fully combined.
- Using a teaspoon, scoop the ground beef mixture and roll the ground beef mixture into a small meatball. Place on a baking sheet and continue to do this until you have used all the ground beef.
- In a large skillet, heat the 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Add the meatballs to the skillet to brown for 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip the meatballs and continue to cook for 2 additional minutes. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
- Add the additional 1 tsp of oil to the skillet. Add in the garlic and sauté on low heat for 1 minute or so.
- Pour in the tomato puree, tomato paste, and seasonings. Mix and let the sauce cook on low heat.
- Add the meatballs back into the sauce and fold them in so they are fully coated and leave it on low heat.
- While the meatballs continue to cook in the sauce, bring a separate pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
- Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce and meatballs and stir to combine. You can save about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add to the sauce if desired (totally optional). Remove from the heat, garnish with basil and extra parmesan cheese, and serve.
Looks yummy. When does the 3 cups water in the recipe get used? Does it go in the sauce?
Actually that is a typo and I’ve edited and adjusted the recipe!