Baked Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Please note this recipe makes THREE 9x13 pans so you can have extra for the freezer. Single recipe amounts are in parenthesis.

Author: Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

Pasta mixture:

2 – 2 1/2 pounds of your favorite spaghetti pasta, cooked (3/4 pound or so for one batch) We like Einkorn pasta or spelt pasta, or you could use rice pasta if your family is gluten-free
6 well-beaten eggs (2 eggs) Pastured eggs are best
3 Tablespoons garlic powder (1 Tablespoon) This will give it a lot of flavor, use more or less to your taste
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (1/3 cup)
6 Tablespoons soft or melted butter (2 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (1/2 teaspoon) Use more to your taste

Herb mixture:

3-8 ounce blocks of cream cheese, softened (8 oz.) OR use homemade cream cheese, it's very simple to make!
3 cups sour cream (1 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (1/2 teaspoon or more to your taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (1/3 teaspoon or more to your taste)
3/4 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme (1/4 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon fresh or dried oregano (1 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon fresh or dried basil (1 teaspoon)

Optional:

3 big bunches fresh spinach (washed, dried, chopped) (1 big bunch)

Ground Beef Mixture:

3 Tablespoons butter (1 Tablespoon)
2 onions chopped (1 onion)
2-2 1/2 pounds ground beef or ground sausage is optional (leave it out for a meatless meal) (3/4-1#) Here's where to find healthy meat if you don't have a good local source
3-24 ounce jars of your favorite homemade or store-bought organic pasta sauce (1 jar)
More seasonings to your taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

For the top:

1-2 cups per pan of whatever shredded cheese you have on hand --we like mozzarella

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to directions on the box.
Preheat the oven to 350*. Butter/spray your baking pans. Cook onions & butter in a pot, add ground beef--as it cooks/browns, break it up into smaller pieces. Add pasta sauce and seasonings, set aside.
Once the pasta is done, strain, then in a big bowl stir together the ingredients for the pasta mixture. Form into a “crust” in the pans.
In another bowl stir together the herb mixture, then spread over the pasta.
Spread the optional spinach around the top.
Spread the meat sauce mixture around the top.
Add the shredded cheese all over the top, and bake uncovered in a 350* oven for 20-30 minutes or until center is hot and cheese is melty and golden browned.
Let set 10-15 minutes before eating so it's easier to cut and lift the servings out.

Notes

Making extra pans for the freezer?

Don't add the cheese on top yet AND don't bake it yet...

Cover well and freeze; the day you want to serve, give it a few hours on the counter to thaw and then add the cheese and bake as described above. Of course, I don't always remember to get it out of the freezer ahead, so in that case, bake at 225* for 90 minutes or so until the middle is hot, and then turn it up to 350* and add the cheese to melt on top. (Before freezing, I'll put the cheese in a baggie and tape it to the top of the pan otherwise I won't have any on baking day or I'll forget it if I'm taking the spaghetti pie to a friend's house!)