American Spaghetti Pie
If you can make spaghetti, you can make spaghetti pie. It’s a really neat dish and one that the whole family will enjoy--a mixture of spaghetti and cheese and Italian sausage. It’s firm enough that you can cut it into slices and serve it like a cake.
It can be made in a 9-inch springform pan, but you can use a large, 3 1/2 to 4 quart, baking pan.
Ingredients
1/2 pound spaghetti noodles
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3/4 pound ground Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups, about 12 ounces, ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Zesty Pizza and Pasta Spice or other Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente, cooked but still firm. (You want it undercooked; it will continue to cook in the oven.)
2. Sauté the onion, green pepper, and sausage until browned.
3. Mix the ricotta cheese, the 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, eggs, oregano, salt, pepper, and basil together in a large bowl. Add the cooked meat and vegetable mixture.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5.Assemble the pie by placing one half the noodles in the pan. Pour one half of the spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Spoon one half of the cheese and meat mixture over the spaghetti sauce. Cover the mixture with the other half of the noodles, then the rest of the spaghetti sauce, and finally, the rest of the cheese and meat mixture. Top the dish with the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and set it on a baking sheet or splash guard to catch any dribbles while baking. Bake for 45 minutes or until just set or the center of the casserole measures 165 degrees with an insta-read thermometer.
7. Remove the foil and bake for another five minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for ten minutes. Remove the ring and serve the pie.
Baker’s note
Springform pans are essential for cheesecakes but we use springform pans for much more: Desserts, cornbread, coffeecake, and in this case—a casserole. They make for great presentations. The casserole or baked good can be set on the table as a centerpiece from which you can cut clean, neat slices.
Recipe provided by our friends at www.preparedpantry.com