Two white bowls filled with kitchen-made spaghettios.

Put down the can and make these Kitchen-made Spaghettios instead! This pasta recipe is especially straightforward to make, turns out completely flavor-packed and will entirely bring your childhood memories back to the dinner table.

Now that Jemma’s old enough to enjoy all of the foods I enjoyed as a kid, I’ve been having fun recreating many of them at home. I’ve also discovered that food guilt (or at least that is what I call it) is a real part of mom guilt. I feel guilty when she doesn’t have home cooked meals and I feel guilty when I’m not making new things for her to try.

Since Jemma goes to daycare everyday, that means I have to pack her a lunch every day. And that task is FAR more difficult than I thought it would be. Enter unfussy dishes like this from-scratch spaghettios recipe. I feel a little better about it, since it’s from-scratch and I know exactly what is in it. But I also LOVE it because it’s ridiculously unfussy to throw together.

Ingredients needed

The ingredients list for this spaghettios recipe is short and sweet. And go-to of all it’s filled with real ingredients that you’ll recognize, and likely already have in your kitchen! Here’s the list:

Pasta. For that familiar spaghettios look, I ordered pasta rings which are called Anellini pasta. I’ve also made this using Ditalini pasta, which is easier to find.
Milk. Use any milk you’d like. This method works great with almond milk or regular milk.
Cheese. I wrote the recipe so that this can be made with or without dairy, depending on your preferences. I’m a sucker for a little parmesan cheese, but that can be substituted for nutritional yeast to still give the dish that cheesy taste. You can also only skip it altogether and it will still be flavor-packed.
Spices. A blend of oregano, garlic powder, paprika and dried sage makes this taste simply like your childhood go-to without being overly sweet, like the canned version. Also, don’t forget to add salt and pepper to taste, to bring out all of the savory flavors!
Tomato paste. Thickens the sauce and provides a rich tomato flavor.
Tomato sauce. The base of the sauce. Use the plain, canned variety with no added flavorings or sugar.

You could also try making this method with my From-scratch marinara sauce!

Pasta in a bag that shaped in small circles.

How for this method

If you can boil water, you’re over halfway there to making this dish. This one-pot pasta meal is so short and unfussy to whip up! Here’s the simple process:

Boil pasta. Cook pasta according to packaging instructions. Drain and add back into the pot.
Combine all ingredients. With the pasta over low heat, stir in the remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined and the sauce has heated through, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Serve. Once fully combined, remove from heat and ENJOY!

Combining pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese in a large pot.

Expert tips

Cook pasta al dente. It’s go-to to boil pasta to al dente because it will continue to cook as you combine it with the other ingredients and heat everything through.
Consistency. You can add a little more milk for a thinner sauce or tomato sauce if you want yours a bit thicker. The recipe that I have written below ended up being a reliable balance for me.
Add in veggies. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think that this would be good with a little bit of spinach mixed in or maybe even peas. A great way to sneak in extra veggies!

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

This dish makes for great leftovers and stores well in the fridge for a few days. Transfer the leftover pasta and sauce to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within about 3 days.