Spaghetti pie is a cozy, satisfying meal the whole family will love, time after time. Quick and budget-friendly, this easy-to-make recipe is perfect for weeknights, or for when you need a dependable, low-stress dinner to serve to company.
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Why You Will Love this Recipe
Spaghetti pie was one of the first meals I learned to make that wasn't from my mother's kitchen. I was just 19 when my BFF shared her spaghetti pie recipe with me, and we both thought it was brilliant.
Spaghetti pie is classic '80s comfort food. Basically a spaghetti casserole layered with cheese, sauce, and spaghetti noodles, it tastes a lot like lasagna, but without all the expense and prep time. The recipe is easy enough to throw together after a long workday, and also works great as a low-stress main dish when company is coming for dinner. It can even be prepared in advance, and then popped in the oven when you're ready to eat.
You can adjust the size of your spaghetti pie casserole to meet the needs of the group you are feeding, and prep it in anything from a pie plate to a lasagna pan.
The best thing about spaghetti pie, though, is that everyone seems to love it: toddlers, grandmas, and everyone in between. That's what's kept in on my short list of quick, easy, budget-friendly meals for decades now.
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Pasta: We prefer using thin spaghetti, but any type of spaghetti (e.g., angel hair, thin, regular, or even spaghettoni) will work.
★ Sauce: Use any thick vegetarian or meaty spaghetti sauce. Making this spaghetti pie with no meat is as easy as using a meatless sauce.
Tip: Spaghetti pie is a great way to use up leftover pasta and spaghetti sauce.
★ Cottage cheese: You can make this spaghetti pie recipe with cottage cheese of any size or milk-fat content (e.g., large curd, small curd, 4%, 1%); however, we get the best results using regular curd 4% cottage cheese. Using 1% can result in a thinner set and a watery pie.
You can substitute ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese.
★ Parmesan: Use any one, or a combination of Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese.
★ Mozzarella: You can also use more parmesan, Romano, Asiago. We've even made spaghetti pie with cheddar before and it tasted great. Use what you have.
★ Basil: Fresh basil is best, but if you don't have any, use 2 teaspoons of dried basil in the spaghetti crust.
How to Make Spaghetti Pie
Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Spray a pie or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use butter, but the pie is more likely to stick to the dish if you use butter.
Heat at least 2 quarts of water in a large pot on high heat. When the water boils, add 1 teaspoon of salt and a splash or two of olive oil. Reduce heat to simmer and add the spaghetti.
Cook, stirring occasionally, according to the package directions, until al dente. (Just barely done.)
While the spaghetti is boiling, mix the eggs and parmesan together in a small bowl. Set aside.
When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it in a colander and (A) immediately return it to the cooking pot.
Use tongs to stir in 2 tablespoons of butter, and then (B) slowly drizzle in beaten eggs as you toss them into the hot spaghetti.
Continue stirring with tongs until the butter completely melts and the egg mixture thickens and clings to the spaghetti noodles (C). Add the basil and toss to mix in evenly (D).
Spread the sauced noodles in the prepared pie dish. Cover the top loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently press the down on the plastic wrap, guiding the spaghetti against the sides of the dish and forming a recess in the middle like a pie crust.
Remove the plastic wrap and spread the cottage cheese into the recess, and then spread spaghetti sauce over the top.
Bake uncovered at 350°F | 175°C for 20 minutes.
Top with mozzarella and bake an additional 10 minutes; until the cheese on top just begins to brown.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
FAQs & Expert Tips
Spaghetti Pie is easy to make ahead of time. Just assemble it up to the point where it is ready to go in the oven. Cover with parchment and foil, and refrigerate for up to two days.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F | 175°C, and place the pie in the oven with the foil cover still on.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
You can prep spaghetti pie and freeze it for up to three months.
To freeze, cover the pie with parchment and foil, and then slip it into a gallon-size resealable bag, or vacuum-seal the entire pie. (You can also wrap it in more plastic wrap, but I don’t find this to be a great option because it tends to get freezer burn.)
Defrost the pie in the refrigerator and bake covered at 350°F | 175°C for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
To cook directly from the freezer, start by putting the frozen pie into a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 350°F | 175°C and bake the pie for about 90 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the internal temperature is at least 165°F | 74°C. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
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Baked Spaghetti Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti uncooked; ½ a box
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ~½ ounce; or 4 teaspoons dried basil
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese ~2 ounces; romano, asiago
- 2 large eggs well beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups cottage cheese or ricotta
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce homemade or jarred
- 4 ounces mozzarella shredded; about a cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Spray a pie or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. (You can also use butter, but the pie is more likely to stick to the dish.)
- Heat at least 2 quarts of water in a large pot on high heat. When the water boils, add a generous pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil. Reduce heat to simmer and add the spaghetti noodles.Cook, stirring occasionally, according to the package directions, until al dente. (Just barely done.)
- While the spaghetti is boiling, mix the eggs and parmesan together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- When the spaghetti is cooked, drain in a colander and immediately return it to the cooking pot.Use tongs to stir in 2 tablespoons of butter, and then slowly drizzle in beaten eggs as you toss them with the hot spaghetti. Continue stirring with tongs until the butter melts and the egg mixture thickens and clings to the spaghetti noodles. Add basil and toss to mix in evenly.
- Spread the noodles in the prepared pie dish. Cover the top loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently press the down on the plastic wrap, guiding the spaghetti against the sides of the dish and forming a recess in the middle like a pie crust.
- Spread the cottage cheese into the recess, and then spread spaghetti sauce over the top.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F | 175°C for 20 minutes.Top with mozzarella and bake an additional 10 minutes; until the cheese on top just begins to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F | 175°C, and place the pie in the oven with the foil cover still on. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes. Freeze for Up to 3 Months To freeze, cover the pie with parchment and foil, and then slip it into a gallon-size resealable bag, or vacuum-seal the entire pie.
Defrost the pie in the refrigerator and bake covered at 350°F | 175°C for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the internal temperature is at least 165°F | 74°C. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes. To cook directly from the freezer, start by putting the frozen pie into a cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 350°F | 175°C and bake the pie for about 90 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the internal temperature is at least 165°F | 74°C. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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