As much as I love heating up a can of Spaghettio's, and eating the entire thing in one setting, I don't love the thought of the preservatives and imitation ingredients involved. Judah is now at the age where he will start getting hooked on these sort of kid fanatic foods, so I set out to create my own version that is much healthier.
DIY Homemade Spaghettio’s
Ingredients
- 8 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, to al dente (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saute' pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, sugar and butter. Heat, while stirring, until the butter is melted. Slowly stir in the milk, then turn the heat to low. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes.
- Stir the shredded cheese into the soup until melted. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour as much of the tomato sauce into the pasta as desired; stir to combine. (I don't like mine extremely soupy, so usually have about 1/3 cup of the sauce leftover.)
