RECIPE: Grown-Up Spaghetti-Os

I grew up eating my fair share of canned Italian meals. From Chef Boyardee ravioli to Campbell’s SpaghettiOs, it was a quick meal that my brother and I could make on our own with just a can opener and a microwave.

I was almost appalled when not one of my three children would eat any of these meals as toddlers. They refused the canned Italian goodness that I had such nostalgia for. They also refused to eat American cheese and bologna, so I was really perplexed as we were quickly eliminating entire food groups of my childhood.

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All this said, everyone in my family loves, in a big way, a recipe found on StyleBlueprint, the BEST Tomato Soup Recipe EVER. It’s also one of our more read recipes here on StyleBlueprint. It’s easy, delicious, and can be changed depending on your mood/diet (don’t have basil? Use dill. Don’t have either? It’s still good. Love a sweeter soup? Add honey. Love garlic? Add lots.).

Recently, my son really wanted more of this soup and wanted to know how it would work as a pasta sauce. I went through the basics of how tomato soup definitely can be a sauce and we decided to try it out. We cooked the soup a little longer to thicken it up. We added some garlic and even some parmesan cheese. Then, he bought Pasta Joy gluten-free pasta (our favorite gluten-free pasta brand) in the small shells variety. We typically get the rotini, but he changed it up. It was a brilliant move as the shells hold the sauce a bit more.

As we made it and he ate it, he said, in a positive way, “It’s like grown-up Spaghetti-Os.” And, thus, that’s what we started calling it.

This is a perfect cold-weather recipe when you kind of want a grilled cheese and tomato soup, but you could happily have that same type of meal all in one bowl. That’s where this meal fits best.

Of course, we’ll likely be eating this same meal on the hottest day of the year as well as it’s perfect when you just want some comfort food, but you don’t want to throw your entire day of calories out of whack. And, after this past year, we’re not looking to get rid of our comfort food anytime soon.

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Grown-Up Spaghetti-Os

Liza Graves

A meal where the nostalgia from our past meets the expectations of our adult palate.

4.75 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course A main or side dish

Cuisine American/Italian, Italian, Soup

Servings 8

Calories 43 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 35 oz San Marzano style canned tomatoes I typically use Cento
• 1 diced leek
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 oz fresh basil
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Pasta Joy brown rice pasta shells

Instructions

 

• Start warming water to boil in a 6-quart stockpot. While waiting on the water to boil, in a smaller pot or large saucepan, empty a 35 ounce can of Cento whole tomatoes (or some brand of San Marzano whole tomatoes. It must be San Marzano tomatoes!) and bring to a simmer.
• Chop up one leek, the white and light green parts, into circles and then in half. If you have a shallot on hand, the addition is nice. If you have neither, use a half of a sweet yellow onion.
• Chop up 3 large cloves of garlic.
• Add leeks and garlic to the simmering tomatoes.
• The water should be close to boiling. Once it is, add an entire package of gluten-free Pasta Joy brown rice pasta shells, or your favorite brand of small shells pasta. Salt the water as the pasta cooks. It will cook for about 12-14 minutes.
• While the pasta is cooking, let the tomatoes cook down.
• Add 5 ounces of chopped fresh basil (that is the same amount that comes in the small plastic containers at the grocery. It's the same as a handful of basil).
• The whole tomatoes will be falling apart and you can gently smash them with a wooden spoon. The tomato mixture should cook for about 20-25 minutes. Then, add 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese and mix. (Save the other 2 tablespoons of parmesan for garnish as you plate the meal).
• Turn the tomatoes off and add 1/2 a cup of half and half. Then, blend it with an immersion blender or the blender you have on hand. Taste as this will need salt and pepper added to your taste.
• When the pasta is ready, rinse with cold water and then add to the warm tomato mixture.
• Top each serving with a little bit more grated parmesan cheese. It's pretty to add a little something green to the top as well: a little chopped basil or green onion or parsley.

Notes

While this makes eight servings, just make half the amount of pasta and freeze or refrigerate the other half the tomato sauce, for a smaller amount of food! 

Nutrition

Calories: 43kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 56mgPotassium: 102mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1196IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 1mg

Keyword comfort food, comfort food lower calories, pasta shells

Tried this recipe?Rate it above to let us know how it was!

Feel free to improvise with added sausage, meatballs, veggies, and more. But, just plain like this is pretty darn good.

Three reader-favorite soup recipes:

The Best Tomato Soup Recipe EVER

Lentil & Sausage Soup

Easy Beef Cabbage Soup