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An easy homemade version of SpaghettiOs that will bring back great childhood memories and is way better for you than the canned stuff.  This recipe tastes very close to the original and your whole family will enjoy it.

Cheesy Homemade SpaghettiOs Recipe where you can add chicken to make it a dinner with protein.

For day TWO of my favorite childhood food week, I made an adult version of homemade SpaghettiOs that you will love!  I don’t know about you, but I tore these up as a kid. I think I had them for lunch every day of my life when I was home for lunchtime. I was even famous for having them for dinner when I didn’t like what my mom made (which was 5 out of 7 nights a week, give or take a couple days. Nothing against my mom’s cooking – I was super picky!)

I added shredded chicken to this to make it more of a hearty “adult” meal.  If you are making this for your kids, you can leave out the chicken and it will still be very tasty…also omit the chicken if you want it to taste just like the original SpaghettiOs, but it is a nice alternative/option.  Honestly, I’ve never been a really huge fan of chicken and red sauce together (i.e. Chicken Parmesan) – I’m a little bit weird and picky like that when it comes to my food.  BUT, Mr. Wishes liked it a lot with the chicken and thought it really made it more of a meal.  His reaction to this dish was, “This tastes a lot like SpaghettiOs!”  He is very creative with his feedback 😉  But I do love that positive feedback!

So, if your kids (of you adults out there) find SpaghettiOs to be somewhat of a guilty pleasure…as I do…this recipe is a quick and cheap way to make lunch or dinner for you and your kids without all of the preservatives!

Did you miss day ONE of my themed week?  I made these Circus Animal Sugar Cookies – be sure to take a look!  They were a popular one!

Cheesy Homemade-SpaghettiOs-Recipe where you can add chicken to make it a dinner with protein.

Homemade SpaghettiOs
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
An easy homemade version of SpaghettiOs that will bring back great childhood memories and is way better for you than the canned stuff. This recipe tastes very close to the original and your whole family will enjoy it.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound small circular pasta (I used rings)
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • Three 15-ounce cans tomato sauce (I used Hunt's)
  • 1 tablespoon dry Ranch Dressing seasoning packet
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions then drain under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  2. Melt butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.
  3. Add tomato sauce, stirring to combine.
  4. Add your cooked pasta to the sauce along with the shredded chicken (if you are using), Ranch seasoning and black pepper. Stir to combine, reduce heat to medium low..
  5. Top with shredded cheese and close lid to melt cheese for 3-5 minutes. You can stir the cheese in or leave it on top.
  6. Once cheese is melted, serve.

Recipe source: adapted from picky-palate.com

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