If lasagna and spaghetti had a baby, spaghetti pie would be it. This dish is fantastic. A combination of cheese and savoury sausage tossed with tomatoes and you have a dish that pleases adults and children.
This is a one pot dish that feeds a family in no time. Easy to make, and easier to enjoy. It has become a favourite meal in our home, and recently I taught my clients how to prepare it as well. They love it, and I am sure you will too.
1 package of mild Italian sausage (use hot if you like some kick)
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 small yellow onion diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups of grated mozzarella
1 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
This dish is one that requires layering. We are building each layer one at a time, and then combining them together and baking it to set.
Preheat your oven to 375°
Grab a pie plate of your choice, a pasta pot, and a frying pan.
In the pasta pot, bring water to a boil. Be sure to heavily (1/4 cup of salt)salt the water so it tastes of the ocean.
Cook until al dente. Should be cooked but not mushy. About 6-8 minutes. Be sure to taste test until you get the texture you want. Once cooked, drain the pasta in a colander, but DO NOT RINSE. Place the drained pasta on some paper towel and try to remove as much as the water as possible gently patting with paper towel. Place the pasta in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and freshly grated parmesan cheese and stir well to combine. Arrange the noodles in the bottom of a pie plate creating a slight well in the centre. Set aside.
Using a mesh strainer, combine your ricotta and cottage cheese and press all of the water out of them. Add the cheese to a medium bowl, add the nutmeg, basil, and spinach. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. Stir and spread over top of the noodles. Set aside.
In the frying pan over medium heat, add some olive oil and brown your sausage meat. You can can dice the sausage or remove the casing and brown it as you would hamburger meat breaking it up as you go. Once browned, remove from the pan into a small bowl and set aside.
In the sausage pan, add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the oregano, and tomato paste. Stir and brown for about a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and return the sausage to the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes until the sauce reduces. Add a Tbsp of balsamic vinegar to the sauce and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the Ricotta and noodles and spread out evenly.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 Minutes.
Remove the pie, sprinkle the mozza cheese over top, and return to the oven until cheese is melted and browned. Approximately 5-8 minutes.
adoptedtomato
