Spaghetti Pie
Honestly, this spaghetti pie meal can’t be beat. It’s easy enough for a weeknight frenzy but delicious and satisfying enough for company.
When I announce that spaghetti pie is for dinner, I wish you could witness the reaction on all five (yes, counting my husband) of my boy’s faces. They jump and spin around me like mini tornadoes, hugging and kissing me like there’s no tomorrow, all because I made them spaghetti pie.
I’m kind of afraid they are going to find out just how simple this meal is and decide the hugs and kisses should be reserved for more time-intensive family favorites, but for now, I’ll take it.
If you aren’t familiar with spaghetti pie, please acquaint yourself immediately! We’ve been eating it for years and years and like the title of this post indicates, it truly is a family favorite.
The reason I haven’t shared it with you yet (I know, I know, I feel a bit guilty) is because I’ve been spending the last five years on my life’s greatest work: perfecting spaghetti pie. And here it is! In all it’s perfected, spaghetti pie glory.
Honestly, this meal can’t be beat. It’s easy enough for a weeknight frenzy but delicious and satisfying enough for company. (And talk about the perfect take-in meal – this one’s a winner.)
Think delicious, tender noodles suffused in a combination of creamy and red sauces and baked to perfection – saucy enough to eliminate tough, dried out noodles, and sturdy enough to hold it’s shape in delightful pie-shaped pieces. I’m telling you – it’s spaghetti pie perfection, people!
I can breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing I’ve finally posted this baby. Hope you love it as much as we do!
It’s one of those meals I could serve all week and come the seventh night, my boys would still be cheering. However, I would be gagging. Not because I don’t love me some spaghetti pie but because I, for one, need a little diversity in dinner, no matter how glorious the meal is.
What To Serve With This:
Divine Breadsticks or Cheesy Garlic Bread
Steamed vegetable like broccoli or peas
Simple green salad (or something more fancy like this Gourmet Green Salad)
One Year Ago: Save Recipes to Your Own Personal Recipe Box!
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Spaghetti Pie
Ingredients
- 12 ounces thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup lowfat cottage cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Lightly coat a deep 9 or 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles until al dente according to package directions. While the noodles boil, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and continuing to break up the meat, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Return the skillet to medium heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano. Simmer the sauce over medium or medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- When the noodles are done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Immediately stir in the cream cheese and toss the noodles by lightly lifting them up and over with tongs until the cream cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Stir in 2 cups of the red sauce. Keep the remainder of the red sauce warm on the stove.
- Scrape the noodles into the prepared pie plate and using a flat spatula, press the noodles evenly into the dish so they are tightly pressed together and evenly flat across the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese across the top.
- Bake the spaghetti pie for 20-22 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden on top. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with remaining red sauce.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Amazing! Loved it. I’m totally on board with Mel — this is a good choice for a take-in meal.
This has quickly become one of my favorites!
My friend makes this, minus the cream cheese, baked in a casserole dish with the sauce MIXED IN. It is a favorite of mine.
Hi Mel, I saw a question from someone about making this ahead of time and you replied that you had never tried it. I did make this a few hours ahead and wanted to share. This was the first time I had ever made this dish and I put it together while my little ones were napping so that at dinner time all I had to do was throw it in the oven. Based on your comment that it might be drier if made ahead, I increased the ricotta cheese to 3/4 cup and added 2 1/2 cups of the red sauce. I also made sure to only cook my spaghetti just to al dente and increased the bake time by about 5 or so minutes. Turned out beautifully – not at all dry but still firm enough to hold its shape. I will be making this again and again! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’d like to make this for a friend who is recovering from surgery. When I bring it to her, do you recommend taking the extra sauce separately, or just adding it to the top before I bring it over? I’d like for her to have to do as little prep as possible before she eats it.
Sarah – I’d probably just keep the extra sauce in a microwaveable dish and bring it like that – I think pouring it over the top might be a bit overkill on the sauce.
Mel you ain’t kiddin’….this is phenominal!!! I made it two weeks ago…everyone loved it in my house.
Mel you ain’t kiddin’….this is phenominal!!!
Mel,
I’ve made this dish many times now for my house full of picky eaters and they love it! I was going to make it in advance and freeze it for my niece to make next week after her baby is born (she lives 2 hours from me). If she takes it out of the freezer and puts in straight into the oven how long should it bake for? Should the temp still be 400? Thanks so much!
Hi Leanne – if I were baking this from frozen, I’d probably reduce the heat to 350 and bake covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes (shorter or longer as needed to heat through).
Mel,
Do you think that plain yogurt would be an okay substitute for the cream cheese?
Hi Kelly – personally, I don’t think the yogurt would make a good substitution for the cream cheese (mostly due to the consistency) but I’m never one to talk someone out of experimenting so if you try it let me know!
I made this last night and it was yummy! 🙂 And just as you prophesied, my six-year-old daughter (who is often objectionable to sauce) ate her whole portion happily. My favorite was the red sauce – great flavor for just a few ingredients (the only thing I added was a little cayenne)! I used the ricotta in place of cottage cheese and found the result to be a little more rich than I would have liked, but overall we all loved it and are looking forward to the leftovers. If I make any changes next time, I think it will be a little less of all the creamy cheese. Great recipe and very easy to follow – thank you!
Friday night dinner! Can’t wait for this one. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. They are quick, easy and what I like best of all is I have most of the ingredients on hand already.
Making this for my family and my brother’s (his wife just had a baby). Making individual “pies” in a muffin tin. I hope it turns out (also using my sun oven…112+ outside. Sorry I’m not turning on the oven). So excited! The sample I had before putting it out to bake was delish!
We liked this a lot! The only problem I had was with the sauce – it seemed a little bland (possibly because my tomato sauce was salt free) and there was a TON. I wished I added 2 1/2 or even 3 cups to my spaghetti. Maybe I will next time. As it is, I’m thinking about ways to reuse it (and probably spice it up) because I really, really doubt we’ll eat the rest of it with what little pie we have left.
Mel I’m trying to plan for girls camp. If made this before and froze it do u think it would be a good freezer meal?
Thanks
Cody
Cody – yes, I think this could make a great freezer meal.
Made this tonight and needless to say, my husband swears he will never eat regular spaghetti again 🙂 thanks so much for this and so many other awesome recipes! You’re always my go-to for dinner inspiration!
Hi Mel – that’s awesome, thanks heaps for the info!
Dear Mel,
I’m from New Zealand and am unsure what the recipe means by “16-ounces tomato sauce” – does it mean tomato sauce as in ‘ketchup’, or a supermarket pasta sauce type-thing?
Thanks heaps for your time – your recipes are brill!
Kind regards,
Dan.
Hi Dan – by tomato sauce, I mean close to pureed tomatoes (without any texture – just a smooth sauce). Does that help?
Mel I’m trying to plan for girls camp. If made this before and froze it do u think it would be a good freezer meal?
Thanks
Cody
I loved this recipe! It came out cheesy, creamy, and delicious. It worked just fine using my gluten free pasta, and will definitely be a repeat dish!
I’m going to make this tonight! What kind of parmesan am I supposed to use? All I currently have is the kraft powdered parmesan (even though I normally have a block of parmesan I can grate). And, I don’t have mozzarella so i’ll be subbing with monterey jack cheese. Hopefully it works out!
Lyndy – I always use Parmesan grated from a block.
Made this today. My kids weren’t jumping up and down crazy about it like yours but we liked it. I will probably make it again.
Do you think this would work meatless without changing any other proportions?
Ava – yes, I think it would work meatless without any changes.
A true winner, I made this for a church potluck and did not bring any of it home….. Thanks Mel
We’ve gotten over a foot of snow today, so we’re officially snowed in. Hubby has been working his tail off to clear snow today, so spaghetti pie sounded fabulous for dinner! I skipped the cottage/ricotta cheese option because there isn’t any in the house, but it still turned out delicious! Great meal for a cold snowy day. Thanks again, Mel!
I made the spaghetti pie tonight for dinner, and my kids went to be CRYING because they liked it so much they wanted more. No. Seriously. My husband said he thinks this recipe should be one of the food groups. Thanks for another winner.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Hi Caryn – for 60 people, I’d double the recipe four times (five time if it’s all adults) and put each doubled recipe in a large, deeper aluminum pan. You’ll probably have to add 8-10 minutes onto the baking time to account for the increased depth but overall, I think it would work great.
My family loves your recipe, so I am planning on making it for a party with about 60 people. I usually make it in a 9×13 and serve it like lasagna, but I am wondering how you think it will turn out if I make it in a large tin tray. Any tips on making it for such a large crowd?
Made this tonight and I gotta tell you it was amazing!! I actually am gluten free and made this dish gluten free and it was still awesome!! I just started a blog and I’m gonna put this on my blog and of course link it back to you! I also just made your Carmel apple bundt cake (last week) and that was fabulous also… If you have any free time please visit my blog and I would love your input. I love your blog and 75% of my recipes are from here. Thank you soo soo much and my husband/kids thanks you too! 🙂
My girls ask for this on an almost daily basis since the first time I made it a couple weeks ago. I was a bit worried because my oldest hates tomatoes and won’t eat anything with tomatoes in it ( unless of course she has no idea they are there and then she will eat it ) the first time I was way nervous but she didn’t noticed and gobbled it up super fast, second time same outcome!!!! So glad she loves it just how it is and I don’t need to convince her it is good 🙂
I just want to tell you thank you. I get so frustrated at dinner time trying to figure out what to cook. Your web site has blessed me and my family 100s of times for many year. Thank you!
Going into my family favorites! This was AMAZING!
Hi Sanjana – do you think the noodles might have been overcooked? If so, they might not have absorbed enough of the liquid to keep it holding together. Just a thought…glad you liked it despite that issue!
Made this for dinner this week, my family LOVED it. We usually have leftovers, but there were none!! Making again this weekend for company. Thank you for all of the great recipes.
I was recently introduced to your blog and I am getting hooked! I am a spaghetti lover and as soon I saw ‘family favorite’ I was convinced.
We are vegetarian so I skipped the meat part but I like the idea of using mushrooms. I used cream cheese, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Realized I didn’t gave mozzarella so skipped it. It turned out yummy, rich and creamy. But for some reason, it did not set firm like a pie. When I tried to slice it, it was all just mushy. What could have gone wrong?
Either way it was yummy but I want to perfect it for next time. Thanks!
This. Was. Awesome.
Thank you for this great recipe! I made it as directed except for using whole wheat noodles and an extra garlic clove. YUM!
Added bonus: the fact that the sauce is separate meant that I could serve it to my “I do it!” 17 month old without the extra red sauce! Less mess to clean up! Woo hoo!!
I’d never made this because I was convinced it would be kind of dry. Decided to trust you and give it a try. Delicious. Only change I made was to use Italian sausage. I will make this again.
Was very. . .nervous about this recipe as we are not spaghetti lovers and .. .in a pie form? Hmmm. Not sure. But- it kept calling me as I flipped by it b/c of your ‘family favourite’ note so we tried it and LOVED IT. Majorly loved it! We made it with WW noodles and sour cream and husband even loved a reheated frozen piece in his lunch later in the week. Enough to request it again the next week- hurrah!
this was a huge hit–thank you! i also gave the recipe to a coworker and she’s a fan. love your website!
Made this for dinner for last night and it was AWESOME. Followed the recipe just as it was written and we all loved it, even my 1.5 year old. He immediately stopped fooling around with his fork and started shoveling it into his mouth. None of it ended up on the floor… a real win at this stage!! Thank you, Mel!
Made this for dinner last night, super yum 🙂 I doubled the recipe because we had company and it fit in a 13×9 pan. I also used turkey Italian sausage in place of the ground beef/turkey for a little extra flavor. Everybody loved it. Thanks Mel!
I made this last night, and it was absolutely delicious! We’ll be eating it again soon 🙂
This was soooo delicious!! I used ground turkey breast and had about a half cup of cream in the fridge I wanted to use up so I added it to the remaining sauce that was spooned over the spaghetti. Definitely making this again and again! Thanks!
Made it last night using Italian sausage and 8oz of cream cheese, but otherwise just the same as the recipe. Soooooo good! This one will be joining the usual rotation.
I made this a couple of nights ago, and a friend who is often ambivalent when I try new recipes declared she would even it is a leftovers – and from her that is high praise indeed! My niece and I both really liked it and would eat is again happily. Next time I will either try it with some Italian sausage or maybe add some of Penzey’s Italian Sausage seasoning.
Spaghetti Pie was one of the first “real” meals I ever learned to cook (like besides grilled cheese). I’ve been making it for something like 13 years now. My four-year-old requested it for her birthday dinner earlier this year, along with green beans. I’ve also had success with freezing it.
This looks like the perfect week night meal. I am always searching for recipes that the whole family will enjoy. I will have to try this out on my 3 picky eaters 🙂
Is it possible to substitute the ricotta chees, my family does not enjoy.
Hi Kim – I included some possible substitutions in the note under the recipe title.
Hi there! I made this last weekend and it was AWESOME! I used Sour Cream instead of cottage cheese and used shaved parmesan on top and baked in a 13×9 oblong pan and it filled the whole thing. I will make this again and again…
Hi Jenny – as long as the sides of your cake pan are higher than 2 inches, I think that should work just fine.