I originally learned how to make spaghetti pie in a Cooperative Extension class during the mid-1980s. It was an immediate hit, and since then I’ve done a lot of experimenting. (I’ve also taught more than a few people how to make it.) It’s a twist on baked spaghetti in that it has two layers instead of one.
The “trick” to this dish is to over-spice it just a bit before putting it into the oven, since the baking process will decrease the spices’ potency.
Basic Version:
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- 1 24-oz. can spaghetti sauce, any flavor
- 1 egg
- 16 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×12 inch baking pan.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions, removing and draining it just as it gets to al dente.
After draining, place in a large bowl or back into the pot and mix with spaghetti sauce. Spice to taste. Add egg and mix in thoroughly.
Layer half of the spaghetti/sauce into the baking pan. Cover completely with half of the mozzarella cheese slices. Layer the second half on top and also cover it with mozzarella slices. (In both cases the mozzarella slices should completely cover the layer of spaghetti and sauce.)
Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and edges are beginning to brown.
Makes 6-8 servings and does great as reheated leftovers.
Notes:
- Provided you don’t use a meat-based sauce, the basic version is vegetarian but not vegan. However, read on — it can be made vegan.
- For those of you who want vegan and/or are allergic to eggs, the egg in this recipe is strictly a binding agent. Feel free to substitute another binding agent in lieu; it won’t change anything. You will, however, have problems if you don’t use a binding agent at all.
- You can also substitute non-dairy cheese to make it fully vegan.
- This recipe does not work with gluten-free pasta. That particular experiment failed miserably.
- That said, partners of mine have discovered the recipe does work if you use spaghetti squash in lieu of wheat-based pasta. (I do not care for spaghetti squash which is why I never tried this myself.) Baking time on this version is a tad shorter.
- If you’ve had this after I’ve made it, chances are good that I added browned ground beef (1 lb.), diced green peppers, dehydrated onions and possibly some minced garlic into the spaghetti sauce. The extra ingredients are added during the mixing process, and add a bit of baking time.
- The other thing I usually do is put all of the mozzarella over the bottom layer. I then use an entire 16 oz. package of the “six cheese Italian” shredded cheese mix that’s available at most grocery stories on top. I will mix a little parsley in with this layer; it creates a nice visual effect.
- Through experimentation, I’ve discovered it is possible to make this with a white alfredo sauce instead of a red spaghetti sauce. It requires some adjustment of the cheese layers and a longer baking time (alfredo sauce contains parmesan cheese) and will be unpleasantly bland if it’s not properly spiced. When making this version, I usually mix in diced chicken and diced broccoli.
If you try this, let me know how it goes!