There are a lot of foods that people would lump into the kid category. Hot Dogs, PB&J, Chicken Nuggets, Mac-n-Cheese, and of course, the childhood staple… canned pasta. You know, ravioli and spaghetti from a can. Can you close your eyes and taste it? Bet you can.
Which canned pastas are we trying today?
Full Circle Organic Mini Ravioli
Annie’s Bernie O's
Annie’s Organic All Stars
SpaghettiOs
Annie’s Cheesy Ravioli
Chef Boyardee Macaroni and Cheese
Who is on this juicy Pickle quest?
Hannah, fun killer.
Nate, Hype Man.
Matt, ready to be whelmed.
Amy, cult leader.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of SpaghettiOs
I didn’t find a lot of information about canned pasta, so I limited my search to SpaghettiOs. Enjoy!
SpaghettiOs. A childhood favorite. Close your eyes. I bet you can taste them now. SpaghettiOs hit shelves on May 16th, 1965. This ring-shaped pasta was invented by Wisconsin native, Donald Goerke. His goal, which was set upon him by Franco-American, a division of Campbell’s Soup Company, was to invent a pasta meal that was easy for children to eat with a spoon.
SpaghettiOs were the perfect shape. They stayed on the spoon, they were less messy, and stood up well to canning and reheating.
Though, during the creation, the company tried out a series of different shapes in order to make them appeal to young people. They went through hundred of shapes, including cowboys, native Americans, astronauts, stars, and more. Goerke finally said enough. Spaghetti in an O shape is exciting enough.
SpaghettiOs tested so well with moms and kids that it skipped regional test marketing and went directly to national distribution, launching on October 18, 1965. This 15 ounce can was marketed as “The world’s first spoonable spaghetti.”
The first ever SpaghettiOs commercial featured the slogan we all know, “Uh-Oh SpaghettiOs” alongside the original slogan, “The Best Invention Since the Napkin!”
It wasn’t until 2004 that SpaghettiOs was rebranded from Franco-American SpaghettiOs to Campbell’s SpaghettiOs.
In addition to the originals, there have also been SoaghettiOs Meatballs, SpaghettiOs Sliced Franks, SpaghettiOs RavioliOs, and other shapes as well.
Spaghettios are in the top 20 best selling canned foods. Specifically, the SpaghettiOs with meatballs. In 2018, 43.3 million units were sold, totaling $45 million in sales.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th Place: Full Circle Organic Mini Ravioli
Amy - 2
Hannah - 1
Matt - 3
Nate - 2
5th Place: Annie’s Cheesy Ravioli
Amy - 3
Hannah - 2
Matt - 4
Nate - 4
4th Place: Annie’s Bernie O’s
Amy - 3
Hannah - 4
Matt - 5
Nate - 2
3rd Place: Annie’s Organic All Stars
Amy - 3
Hannah - 5
Matt - 5
Nate - 3
2nd Place: SpaghettiOs
Amy - 5
Hannah - 4
Matt - 4
Nate - 4
1st Place: Chef Boyardee Macaroni and Cheese
Amy - 5
Hannah - 5
Matt - 5
Nate - 5
There you have it. Chef Boyardee Macaroni and Cheese receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to try them out for yourself.
https://www.chefboyardee.com/products/other-fun-flavors/mac-cheese-can
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried all these pastas? We would love to hear your rating as well.
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. Additionally, paid subscribers will have access to monthly content where we put two restaurants head to head in a Quest for the Best battle. You definitely do not want to miss out.
SHOW NOTES:
https://groovyhistory.com/spaghettios-invented-1965-campbells-franco-american
Canned Pasta