Kitchen Mailbox: Main dish spaghetti pie a delicious tangle of flavors

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Kitchen Mailbox: Main dish spaghetti pie a delicious tangle of flavors

Thursday, April 06, 2000

By Arlene Burnett, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Start your meal with pie -- spaghetti pie.

Spaghetti pie is without a doubt a delicious and filling one-dish meal. You'll love the ease of preparation.

Today's recipes have certain similarities -- obviously they all call for spaghetti and cheese. The first recipe is made in a lasagna pan and calls for canned tomatoes (not sauce) and breakfast sausage and cottage cheese instead of ricotta. (We feel ricotta would work as well.) Recipe No. 2 uses a combination of ground chuck and Italian sausage. The third recipe is meatless.

When we tested these recipes, we served them with Italian bread and salad. All make great leftovers.

Helen Morgan of Zelienople requested a recipe for spaghetti pie. This first recipe came to us from Lois Jackson of McKeesport.

Spaghetti Pie

1 pound spaghetti 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3 eggs, beaten 16 ounces cottage cheese 1 pound sweet sausage (Jackson uses Bob Evans) 1 green pepper, sliced 1 large onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes plus 3 cans of water, see directions 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced (we used grated)

Cook spaghetti, drain, then stir in butter, eggs and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

Cook sausage, pepper and onion. Add garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and sugar. Add water. Cook for 15 minutes after the mixture begins to boil. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of spaghetti on bottom of pan, followed by a layer of cottage cheese followed by a layer of sauce and a layer of mozzarella ending up with a final layer of spaghetti, sauce and mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let sit at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Note: We lightly crushed the tomatoes with a fork.

Gail Reid of Upper St. Clair sent this recipe.

Spaghetti Pie

1/2 pound ground chuck, cooked and drained 1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained (we used the sweet) 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped 5 tablespoons butter, divided 16 ounces prepared spaghetti sauce 6 ounces spaghetti 2 eggs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown meats together in frying pan. Drain fat. Saute onion and pepper in 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add meats to vegetable mixture. Add sauce and simmer until needed.

Cook spaghetti as directed on box. Drain and add eggs, Parmesan cheese and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Toss until butter melts.

Grease 9-inch pie dish. Press spaghetti mixture into pan and up the sides. Cover the spaghetti with ricotta cheese. Add meat mixture to pan. Cover with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.

This recipe was sent in by Sue Cohen of Stanton Heights.

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti 2 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (we used fresh) 2 cups prepared spaghetti sauce 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese Additional Parmesan cheese Additional spaghetti sauce, optional

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well. Stir butter into hot spaghetti. Add 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and eggs; mix well. Mold spaghetti mixture into a crust in a buttered 10-inch pie plate.

Combine ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and parsley. Carefully spread over spaghetti crust. Fill pie with spaghetti sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 5 minutes longer until cheeses melt. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Serve with extra spaghetti sauce to spoon over, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Requests

Here are a few requests from Larry Hojo of Silver Spring, Md. Hojo would love to have the South Park Inn's recipe for fried chicken. The seasonings used were similar to the seasonings used in breaded crab cakes. Also, he's hoping for the recipe for a hot roast beef sandwich with gravy similar to that served at Boyka's Tavern in Finleyville.

Edith Nagoda of West Mifflin remembers Webster Hall serving a sweet bread made bundt cake style with raisins. Nagoda says, "It was a very heavy dense cake. It's great toasted with butter."

Joan Truver of Allison Park would like a recipe for Slovak nut bread. "This is a raised dough and baked in 3- or 4-inch bread pan." Truver says, "This is not the same as the flat, Croatian nut bread."

If you want to answer a recipe request from a reader or are looking for a recipe yourself, please write to Kitchen Mailbox, c/o Arlene Burnett, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222, or e-mail to aburnett@post-gazette.com. Please include a name, neighborhood and a daytime phone number on all correspondence. All recipes are kitchen-tested by the Post-Gazette.