When the Moon Hits your Eye like a Big Spaghetti Pie, that’s Amore’

I have always loved spaghetti, so of course I was hooked when it could be made into a pie version as well. I think my mom originally discovered this little ditty of a casserole in a newspaper or some magazine. The first time she made it, I was loved it! The crust (spaghetti) gets semi-crunchy, the cheese is gooey, and in my version there is of course plenty of meat to meet John’s needs!

Funny thing…I have been craving this dish for quite some time and when I finally decided to make it, I realized I don’t have any pie tins/glass dishes/whatever they are called. Yeah, I know…strange. SO instead of the traditional round Spaghetti Pie, I technically made Spaghetti Oval, but the premise is the same :)

Look at it in all its glory! Soooo good!

• 6 ounces of spaghetti cooked to al dente
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• ½ cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (you can make your own ricotta! Learn how here)
• ½ pound ground beef
• ½ pound hot Italian sausage
• 1 small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 can diced Italian style tomatoes
• ½ cup + ¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix your spaghetti, melted butter, parmesan cheese, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Spray the bottom of a pie pan with cooking spray and press the spaghetti mixture into the bottom of it.  Bake for ten minutes to set. In the meantime, mix your ricotta cheese and ½ cup mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage. Rinse and drain. Add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and sauté for several minutes. Add in the diced tomatoes and let simmer until ready to use (this mixture should be pretty thick - you may not need the entire can of tomatoes).

Once the spaghetti is done baking, top with ricotta cheese mixture then spread the meat mixture over the top of that. Be sure to leave a spaghetti crust exposed. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese, then bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Yes, it truly is Amore’! Well, for me anyway...Awkward! :) haha! So, so good.