Menu Lifestyle
By Jennifer Halvorsen
Updated: Feb. 26, 2021
Originally Published: Jan. 25, 2021
It was a typical Saturday night, and as I lounged on the couch, I stumbled upon a viral video by Kalen Allen. He was reacting to a rather bizarre SpaghettiO pie recipe that had taken social media by storm. In the original clip, a woman confidently poured a can of SpaghettiOs (with meatballs) into a store-bought pie crust. “This is the quickest family dinner you’ll ever make,” she boasts, while she energetically slathers butter on slices of bread. “And kids will love it, obviously, because who doesn’t enjoy Spaghetti Italian?” she continues, all while layering on the butter.
Just 16 seconds in, I was hooked. What exactly is Spaghetti Italian? Is it even permissible to put SpaghettiOs in a pie crust? Is this a giant joke? Regardless, I was drawn in as she seasoned everything with an outrageous amount of garlic salt and began mashing the buttered, garlic-salt bread with her forearms. Yes, her forearms. She wasn’t joking around. To ensure the bread was really flattened, she even punched it down. And of course, she cut off the crusts because, apparently, no child would eat anything with crust.
Now back to the pie: The original poster sprinkled a generous amount of thick-cut mozzarella on top of the first layer of SpaghettiOs, followed by more garlic salt. She then added a seemingly optional second layer of SpaghettiOs for her “large family” and topped it off with even more mozzarella. The most shocking part? She poured a sizable splash of milk into the SpaghettiOs to make it “juicy.” Finally, she added the “garlic bread” “crust” on top.
In one segment of the video, she removed the pie from the oven, claiming it was the best one she had made yet. I was curious, though—she never showed what it looked like when sliced! What a cliffhanger!
Feeling adventurous and slightly bored, I decided to recreate this “easiest dinner hack ever.”
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of SpaghettiOs with meatballs
- 1 pre-made pie shell
- Mozzarella cheese (I wasn’t splurging on Tillamook, so Lucerne it was)
- Milk (I had low fat on hand, not sure what the original chef used)
- 4 slices of bread
- Butter
- Garlic salt (I had granulated garlic, but the SpaghettiOs had enough salt)
Ah, the smell of SpaghettiOs—bringing back memories of daycare and mixed emotions.
Layer one: Everything went smoothly as I poured in some granulated garlic and prepped the shredded cheese and my second can of SpaghettiOs. I felt slightly wasteful, considering it was just my husband and me. However, since the SpaghettiOs were on sale, I figured, why not?
Confession: As a Midwesterner, I was shocked when the woman in the video claimed to love cheese. Turns out she’s from Minnesota too, so no excuse for her meager cheese sprinkle. Still, I stuck to the recipe; perhaps there was a method to her madness.
After layering in more SpaghettiOs and cheese, I realized I almost forgot to add the milk! A close call, as the thought of milk in SpaghettiOs felt almost sacrilegious. But I followed the directions and mixed it in. She was right; it did make the pie extra “juicy.”
Ready for the oven, but wait—let’s discuss the “garlic bread.”
I used three slices instead of four since I only had thick white bread and didn’t want to mess with the bread-to-SpaghettiO ratio. Maybe I was overthinking it.
I rolled up my sleeves and used my forearms to flatten the bread, even if it felt unnecessary. Who was I to judge her culinary techniques? I pummeled the bread with my fists, trying to achieve the same result as the original poster. I even cut off the crusts, though I personally love them; this experiment wasn’t about me.
Since the original didn’t specify the oven temperature or baking time, I opted for the standard 350 degrees and set it for 35 minutes. After checking, the pie crust was still undercooked, so I added another 15 minutes. If you try this at home, aim for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
As I took the pie out, I realized I might have needed that fourth slice of “garlic bread” crust. But as Alanis Morissette says, “you live, you learn.”
The moment I’d been waiting for arrived: slicing into the pie. Would the SpaghettiOs hold together like a solid pie, or would it be a scooping endeavor?
Spoiler: it was a scooping situation. I had to use a big spoon to serve up what could loosely be called a “slice.”
Final verdict: Is this Spaghetti Italian? Not really. But it is SpaghettiOs with cheese, garlic, and toast on top. Surprisingly, it wasn’t terrible. As a thrifty gal who enjoys a good struggle meal, I’d say it was far from the worst thing I’ve had. The taste resembled overcooked spaghetti with cheap marinara and occasional cheese surprises (and yes, it definitely needed more cheese). The “garlic bread” crust added a nice crunchy texture, but I wasn’t a fan of the canned meatballs. That’s not on me; Campbell’s is to blame.
I asked my husband to try it, but he initially refused due to principles of self-respect. After much persuasion, he finally took a spoonful and said, “Yup, tastes like overcooked SpaghettiOs.”
Some may argue this dish is a culinary crime. Personally, I believe you can’t judge a SpaghettiO pie solely by its viral video.
For those curious about the main ingredients for the SpaghettiO pie, check out this link for more info. Also, if you’re looking for tips on pregnancy and home insemination, Healthline is an excellent resource. Remember to check out our privacy policy here for more information.
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In summary, I attempted to recreate the notorious SpaghettiO pie that had everyone talking online. While the end result was not a culinary masterpiece, it was an interesting (and somewhat nostalgic) experience that I would recommend for a laugh or a quirky meal.