It was a typical Saturday night, and while lounging on the couch, I found myself scrolling through my Instagram feed. Suddenly, I stumbled upon a video from an influencer named Jamie Wells, responding to a bizarre SpaghettiO pie tutorial that had taken the internet by storm. In the original clip, a woman confidently pours a can of SpaghettiOs (with meatballs, of course) into a pre-made pie crust. “This is the quickest family dinner recipe you’ll ever see,” she declares, before swiftly moving on to buttering slices of bread with lightning speed. “And all the kids will love it because who doesn’t enjoy Spaghetti Italian?” she adds, while continuing her bread-buttering frenzy.
Just 16 seconds in, and I was totally captivated. What is Spaghetti Italian? Is it even acceptable to use SpaghettiOs in a pie? Is this a joke? Regardless, I watched as she seasoned her concoction with a generous amount of garlic salt and proceeded to flatten the buttered bread using her forearms. Yes, you read that right—her forearms! She really meant business here. To top it off, she punched the bread down for good measure and cut off the crusts because, apparently, no child would eat anything with crust.
Returning to the SpaghettiO pie, the original poster (OP) sprinkles thick-cut mozzarella cheese on the first layer of SpaghettiOs and adds a hefty dash of garlic salt. She then opts for a second layer of SpaghettiOs, adorned with more mozzarella, because why not? The most shocking part was when she poured in a generous splash of MILK to make it “juicy.” Following that, she added another sprinkle of garlic salt before placing the “garlic bread” “crust” on top.
In one video cut, you see her taking the pie out of the oven, proclaiming it to be her best version yet, but she never reveals what it looks like when sliced! What a suspenseful moment!
Intrigued and admittedly bored, I decided to try making this “easiest dinner hack ever” myself.
Ingredients for SpaghettiO Pie:
- 2 cans of SpaghettiOs with meatballs
- 1 pre-made pie shell
- Mozzarella cheese (I opted for a more affordable brand)
- Milk (I had low-fat milk on hand)
- 4 slices of bread
- Butter
- Garlic salt (I used granulated garlic instead)
Ahh, the scent of SpaghettiOs; it conjures up memories of daycare and the comfort of childhood.
Layer one was going smoothly as I poured in some garlic and prepped the second can of SpaghettiOs. Admittedly, it felt a bit wasteful since it was just my partner and I, but the cans were on sale, so why not?
Confession time: As a Midwesterner, I was taken aback when the video’s host mentioned her love for cheese. She’s from Minnesota like me, so there’s no excuse for that scant sprinkle! Still, I followed the recipe as it was presented.
After layering in the SpaghettiOs and cheese, I almost forgot to add the milk! It felt absurd to mix milk into SpaghettiOs, but I went ahead and did it, and yes, it did add that “juicy” quality the OP mentioned.
Then came the “garlic bread.” I used three slices instead of four, fearing the thickness of my bread would throw off the proportions. I rolled up my sleeves and flattened the bread using my forearms, despite questioning the necessity of this step. I even punched down the bread as the OP had done. I cut off the crusts, even though I’m personally fond of them, but this wasn’t about my preferences.
Since the OP didn’t specify a temperature or baking time, I settled on the standard 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes. When the timer rang, the pie crust clearly needed more time, so I added another 15 minutes. If you decide to make this at home, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and plan on about 50 minutes total.
When the oven beeped, I removed my pie. In hindsight, I might have benefitted from that fourth slice of “garlic bread,” but as Alanis Morissette would say, “you live, you learn.”
The moment of truth had arrived as I sliced into the pie. Would the SpaghettiOs hold together, or would I be forced to scoop it out? Spoiler alert: it was definitely a scooping situation!
Final verdict? Is it Spaghetti Italian? No. Is it SpaghettiOs with cheese, garlic, and toast on top? Yes, and surprisingly, it wasn’t terrible. As someone who appreciates a budget meal, I can say it was neither the best nor worst dish I’ve ever had. It tasted like overcooked spaghetti with cheap marinara and occasional cheesy surprises (it could’ve used more cheese). The “garlic bread” “crust” added a nice crunch, reminiscent of buttered toast with garlic. However, I wasn’t a fan of the canned meatballs, but that’s a personal preference.
I even convinced my partner to try it after a bit of persuasion. He initially resisted, citing principles of self-respect, but after several minutes of coaxing, he took a spoonful and said, “Yup, tastes like overcooked SpaghettiOs.” Classic.
Some may call this dish a culinary disaster, but I believe you can’t judge a SpaghettiO pie purely based on its viral video fame.
If you’re curious about the main ingredients for the SpaghettiO pie, check out this post on our other blog.
Search Queries:
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Summary:
I decided to tackle the infamous SpaghettiO and milk pie after being captivated by its viral video. Following the original recipe, I prepared a pie using canned SpaghettiOs, mozzarella cheese, and a unique “garlic bread” crust. Despite some initial doubts about the ingredients, the final product was surprisingly decent. While it may not win any culinary awards, it was an amusing experiment that provided a taste of nostalgia.