One-Pot Homemade Spaghetti O's
Serve these homemade Spaghetti O's for a quick and easy one-pot vegetarian family dinner that's ready for the table in about 30 minutes!
Servings 2 - 4 people (about 5 cups total)
Calories 376kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, grated (or sub with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder)
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups dry ditalini (or other small pasta)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes; grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh herbs like parsley or basil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute (be careful, as it might splatter).
- Add the water, pasta, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook, stirring frequently so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is tender and much of the liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt or sugar.
- Serve in individual bowls and garnish with crushed red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese, or fresh herbs.
Notes
- Use any small noodle shape that you like. I prefer ditalini, but other good options include stelline (stars), pastina, ABCs alphabet shapes, and rings (the classic Spaghetti O's shape).
- For extra protein, add mini meatballs, diced hot dogs (franks), or even shredded rotisserie chicken to the pot.
- Canned spaghettiOs have a fairly sweet tomato sauce. If you'd like your homemade version to be equally sweet, you'll need to increase the sugar to taste.
- If you don't have fresh garlic cloves, you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder in the sauce.
- Grate the garlic on a microplane or rasp so that you don't have big chunks of garlic in the smooth sauce.
- Stir the pot regularly so that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- This recipe yields a fairly small pot of Spaghetti O's, so double all of the ingredients if you're feeding a larger family.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh herbs (like parsley, basil, oregano, or thyme), or crushed red pepper flakes (for a spicy kick).
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 519IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg