Course
Main
Duration
90 minutes
Serves
4
In my household we always plan for leftovers. Whether I’m making tomato sauce, classic spaghetti and meatballs, or a simple meat sauce, there’s nothing better than digging into a re-heated plate of pasta the next day. One of my favorite ways to repurpose those leftovers, or to simply whip up a quick dinner, is spaghetti pie.
I’ve recently added this recipe into the monthly rotation and it’s not going anywhere. This is a classic, no fuss way to raise some eyebrows and to empty the fridge, freezer, or pantry when you have a hankering for a baked dish on the fly. Nothing screams Midwest comfort food more than a pie with meat, and this rendition checks all the boxes.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups tomato-based pasta sauce
- 16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked al dente
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. dry oregano
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chili flake (optional)
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the 16 oz. box of spaghetti noodles and cook until just tender or al dente. Immediately strain and set aside. The noodles will continue to cook when baking the pie.
- In a sauté pan add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the ground venison and cook until browned. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and dry oregano. Cook for two minutes and remove from the pan.
- In the same pan as the ground venison, add the onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until just golden brown on the edges. Add the meat back to the pan. Add two cups of tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and the remainder of the tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flake, then mix until combined. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for later.
- With a scissors or kitchen sheers, cut up the spaghetti a little so it’s not full length noodles. This will help it lay in the pie dish. Now mix together the cooked meat mix, noodles , and cheese mixture. Pour the pie mix into a lightly greased pie dish. Top the pie with the reserved one cup of cheese mixture, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and place the pie in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown around the edges. Finish with fresh basil.
In my household we always plan for leftovers. Whether I’m making tomato sauce, classic spaghetti and meatballs, or a simple meat sauce, there’s nothing better than digging into a re-heated plate of pasta the next day. One of my favorite ways to repurpose those leftovers, or to simply whip up a quick dinner, is spaghetti pie.
I’ve recently added this recipe into the monthly rotation and it’s not going anywhere. This is a classic, no fuss way to raise some eyebrows and to empty the fridge, freezer, or pantry when you have a hankering for a baked dish on the fly. Nothing screams Midwest comfort food more than a pie with meat, and this rendition checks all the boxes.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups tomato-based pasta sauce
- 16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked al dente
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. dry oregano
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chili flake (optional)
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the 16 oz. box of spaghetti noodles and cook until just tender or al dente. Immediately strain and set aside. The noodles will continue to cook when baking the pie.
- In a sauté pan add 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the ground venison and cook until browned. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and dry oregano. Cook for two minutes and remove from the pan.
- In the same pan as the ground venison, add the onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until just golden brown on the edges. Add the meat back to the pan. Add two cups of tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and the remainder of the tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flake, then mix until combined. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for later.
- With a scissors or kitchen sheers, cut up the spaghetti a little so it’s not full length noodles. This will help it lay in the pie dish. Now mix together the cooked meat mix, noodles , and cheese mixture. Pour the pie mix into a lightly greased pie dish. Top the pie with the reserved one cup of cheese mixture, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and place the pie in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown around the edges. Finish with fresh basil.