About this Recipe

One of the sweet gifts in the kitchen is the ability to make something special out of something ordinary, like this Baked Spaghetti Pie Recipe. Combining the classic all in one easy servable pan, this easy pasta recipe is great to take for a potluck or dinner party. You can even prepare it the day before and do the final bake just before guests arrive. Kids and adults will both love it! If you are making this spaghetti pie recipe with the meat, then when possible choose meat from a grass fed free range source from a farmer who is treating the animals well. One of the biggest ‘small’ things we can do for our planet is to consume less meat from factory farms, and when we do choose meat, choose it from a farmer who uses earth friendlier farming practices.

Grandmother’s TIPS for Baked Spaghetti Pie Recipe:

1. This is such an easy make ahead dish and if you are making a spaghetti meal for guests, it allows you to do all the preparation ahead of time leaving more time for visiting and less pots and pans to wash when you are having guests.

2. This meal would pair perfectly with our Oven Roasted Garlic Recipe

3. You can easily remove the meat from the recipe and have a simple meat-free meal.

4. This meal is delicious served with one of Grandmother's Salad Recipes. I would personally choose the Cucumber Tomato Layered Salad Recipe.

This baked spaghetti will probably be a big hit with the entire family or whoever you serve it to. So there may not be any leftovers at all, but if there are some leftovers, it’s best to store them either in the fridge or freezer and to make sure you eat them within a few days. Any leftovers should be eaten up as soon as possible, so they don’t get mold on them and so that you don’t have to deal with the dangers of mold in your food. The dangers of mold in food include the danger of mycotoxins, which can cause issues, especially in those who have allergies already. So to prevent it from forming at all, it’s best for you to eat your leftovers as soon as possible.

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Ingredients

(Print)

Makes: 4 Servings

spaghetti - enough for 4 - about 1/2 (454gram) box

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 large onion diced

1/4 pound lean hamburger meat - you can put more if you like a lot of meat in your sauce

2 inches of a zucchini - chopped small (Optional but we love zucchini in our spaghetti sauce)

10-12 small white mushrooms - washed and sliced

1 (398ml) can spaghetti sauce - we used Hunts original flavor - you can use your favorite brand

1 Tablespoon oregano flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 - 2 cups grated cheese - we used Asiago - you can use your favorite cheese and more or less to your personal taste

Directions

1. Boil the spaghetti. Drain and set aside. If you are interested, here are some tips on How to Cook Pasta.

2. Transfer the cooked spaghetti into a deep pie dish. Be sure to leave enough room for the spaghetti sauce. If you have cooked too much use only the amount of spaghetti that will fill the pie plate leaving space for the sauce.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Wash and chop the vegetables. Set aside.

5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes until soft. Stir occasionally.

6. Add the hamburger meat and break it into crumb size as it is cooking with a wooden spoon.

7. Add the zucchini and mushroom and continue to cook about 10 minutes until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

8. Add the spaghetti sauce and oregano flakes. Stir in, bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Do a taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed.

10. Spoon and pour the sauce evenly over the spaghetti in the pie dish.

11. Sprinkle on the cheese. We used Asiago but you can you use any cheese you like and you can put more or less to suit your personal desire for the amount of cheese you like to eat.

12. Place the spaghetti pie into the preheated oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until it is heated through the center and the cheese is melted.

13. Remove to a cooling pad. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so before cutting. Like lasagna it is very runny when you first cut into it. Use a sharp knife when cutting.

14. Serve right away.

15. If you are making ahead for a meal you can let cool, cover with abeego wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate.

16. To reheat, remove from the refrigerator and let sit 10 minutes to get the pie plate more to a room temperature.

17. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and bake with the foil on for 25-30 minutes or until heated throughout.

ENJOY!

Return to this Baked Spaghetti Pie recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

Whenever you make a casserole dish like this, especially one with lots of cheese, you’re bound to have a messy pan to deal with afterwards. So you’ll need to learn how to clean pots and pans in the best way. You can learn how to clean pots and pans naturally too, which is great if you’re trying to keep your home free from chemical cleaners. One of the best ways to clean your pan after you’ve baked something in it is to use some baking soda to clean it. It’s also a good idea to pour some boiling water and dish soap in the pan and allow it to soak for a while to loosen up the stuck on food.

Then, you can make a thick paste using baking soda and water and rub it all over the pan and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Then, take a scrubbing pad or brush and scrub away the stuck on food and grime. You’ll notice it comes off a lot easier this way especially after allowing the pan to soak to loosen everything up.

When it comes to easy dinner ideas, pasta is usually at the top of the list. The same goes for casserole recipes which makes this recipe a favourite. This recipe is so simple that even older kids in a household could probably put it together fairly easily.

For this recipe, you'll, of course, need some spaghetti and spaghetti sauce because what would a spaghetti pie be without the spaghetti and sauce? You can use regular spaghetti sauce from a jar or can, or you can make your own sauce if you like. Spaghetti noodles are such a great option for any casserole recipes or easy dinner ideas, so it's always a good idea to have some on hand.

If you or someone in your household is gluten sensitive, there are also some great gluten-free spaghetti options too like rice pasta or quinoa pasta that taste just like regular pasta. When you're cooking pasta of any kind, always be sure to use a pot that's big enough.

There must be enough room in the pot for all of your pasta and water to fit so it's best to choose your largest pot when you're making pasta. Also, having enough of a water to pasta ratio will result in pasta that doesn't stick together. If you have too much pasta and not enough water, the starch from the pasta will go into the water which makes the pasta stick together.

You also want to be sure to move your pasta around with a pasta spoon while it's cooking, so it doesn't stick together. You will also NOT want to rinse off your pasta after cooking it because this rinses off some of the starch that helps the sauce cling to the pasta noodles.