Name: Homemade Spaghettios.
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta); 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 garlic clove, smashed but left whole; small pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste; 8 oz can of tomato sauce; 1/2 cup water; 1/2 Tablespoon tomato paste (I buy it in a tube like toothpaste for recipes like this that just need a little!); 1/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; a couple of grinds of pepper, to taste; 1 Tablespoon butter; 2 Tablespoons milk; 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 12 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta); 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 garlic clove, smashed but left whole pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste; 15-16 oz can of tomato sauce; 1 cup water; 1 Tablespoon tomato paste (I buy it in a tube like toothpaste for recipes like this that just need a little!); 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; a few grinds of pepper, to taste; 2-3 Tablespoons butter; 1/4 cup milk; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Ingredients

1/2 recipe (serves one adult + 2 small kids):

6 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed but left whole
small pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tablespoon tomato paste (I buy it in a tube like toothpaste for recipes like this that just need a little!)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
a couple of grinds of pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Full recipe (serves 2 adults + 2 small kids + a little left over)

12 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed but left whole pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
15-16 oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon tomato paste (I buy it in a tube like toothpaste for recipes like this that just need a little!)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of pepper, to taste
2-3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Fill a pot with water and place on the stove to boil.
Start warming a pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Smash the garlic and add it and the red pepper flakes to the pan and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, sugar, and salt and pepper. Stir in the butter until it melts. Slowly stir in the milk, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook as directed on the package until al dente (if all goes according to plan, this will be about 10 minutes, the same amount of time as the sauce simmers!)
Off heat, stir the cheese into the sauce until melted.
Drain the pasta and stir it into the finished tomato sauce.

Notes

If you plan to have leftovers, I recommend storing the pasta and sauce separately.

Sometimes my sauce turns out a little grainy, like the cheese didn’t melt perfectly. It doesn’t bother me at all, but if you think you wouldn’t like that just add the cheese to individual bowls instead!

This recipe is adapted from Seeded at the Table