This is how I make baked spaghetti pie using leftovers from a spaghetti dinner. Along with the processes for making spaghetti pie, I am also including a few frugal and helpful hints along the way. Please read and enjoy, because this is a wonderfully frugal and absolutely delicious meal!
Using leftovers stretches the grocery budget
So many people don’t like leftovers. Who are these silly people? I never understood why, because I don’t waste food and I love leftovers-the flavors meld and are even better a day or two later. The concept of spaghetti pie uses leftover ingredients in a fun way that doesn’t seem like the normal boring ho hum leftovers. In fact, leftover spaghetti pie is the ultimate in leftover leftovers…ha, ha!! Fortunately it has become one of my family’s favorite meals. My five year old grandson said it was fun to eat and he wanted more!
So let’s begin to make baked spaghetti pie.
Frugal tip for boiling pasta
OK folks, here’s a really good frugal tip for boiling pasta…
Instead of using a large saucepan to boil the water, use a skillet/frying pan. For larger batches of spaghetti, use a deeper frying pan with higher sides. Yes, seriously! When you boil water in a saucepan, it seems like it takes forever to come the a boil. However, by using a skillet/frying pan the water comes to a boil much faster and the spaghetti has a larger surface to cook in, so it cooks faster as well. Saving even a few minutes of utility usage keeps more money in your pocket. Ain’t nobody got time for watching and waiting on a pot to boil!
Bring on the cheeses!
To make the spaghetti pie, I use leftover cheeses such as parmesan (grated and/or shredded), mozzarella and provolone cheeses along with ricotta cheese. If I don’t have ricotta, I make faux ricotta cheese. Yes folks, I am a cheese-a-holic!! Wait! What’s faux ricotta you ask?? Well folks, simply stated….faux ricotta is mashed up cottage cheese and my frugal go-to in place of ricotta when making saucy Italian dishes requiring ricotta.
How To Make Faux Ricotta
So, this frugal and delicious food trick is one of my favorites to make when I need ricotta cheese and don’t have any in the refrigerator. Just mash the cottage cheese curds into a texture that resembles ricotta cheese. If you prefer a drier version, you can also drain the whey from the curds (either before or after mashing them), by putting the mixture in a cheesecloth lined strainer overnight. Though, I don’t mind the extra liquid when making spaghetti pie or lasagna with faux ricotta. And cottage cheese (per ounce) is less expensive than ricotta cheese.
Oh sure, I could have mashed this cottage cheese a bit more or run it through a food processor or immersion blender, but I honestly didn’t have time to. Nor did I care. When the spaghetti pie is baked with all the other toppings, no one would ever notice how finely mashed the cottage cheese was or wasn’t.
The right cookware…
Allow me to digress for a moment, so that I may discuss this amazing cookware I’m using. I received it for Christmas (I not so subtly requested it). So grateful to my son and daughter-in-law for gifting it to me. I am in love with this cookware…I seriously am! It’s the absolute best cookware I’ve ever used. And I highly recommend it.
Here’s the link to set I requested and received for Christmas. It’s a great starter set. Though I can honestly say, I would now like more pieces…hint, hint!!
I started to list and describe all the benefits of this cookware and decided I shall just write a separate blog about it. This cookware is so good, it deserves it’s own article. So, stay tuned for more valuable information about Blue Diamond Cookware.
Spaghetti forks, I love them when making spaghetti
Ooops, I’m digressing again. But, while we’re on the subject of good equipment….allow me to chat about spaghetti forks. They’re a multi-functional kitchen helper. The hole in the center helps measure individual portions of uncooked spaghetti-did you know that? This helpful utensil also assists with keeping the spaghetti from clumping as you stir while it is cooking. And you can also use a spaghetti fork to serve the spaghetti. Multifunctional gadgets make me happy.
Strain the spaghetti
OK, back to the spaghetti pie. After the spaghetti is cooked, strain it, but do not rinse the spaghetti. Rinsing causes the pasta to become watery and it also prevents the next ingredients from adhering to the pasta. The idea here is to use leftover spaghetti from a previous spaghetti dinner. Though if you don’t have any leftover spaghetti, it’s cheap…you can certainly make a fresh batch if necessary. Just make sure that the spaghetti is at room temperature when you are making the spaghetti pie.
Making the spaghetti pie shell…
Add a bit of ricotta cheese or faux ricotta along with a good handful of shredded parmesan cheese to the cooked spaghetti. You can also add a beaten egg or mozzarella cheese if you would like. Mix the ingredients together until well combined. The cheeses and egg work as a binder to keep the spaghetti together and form the pie crust.
Press the spaghetti and cheese mixture into a pan. You can use a skillet like I did this time, or you can use a pie plate/pan-which I often do. Either vessel will work. When pressing the spaghetti mixture into the pan, be sure to form an indentation in the middle for the fillings. Press the spaghetti mixture up the sides of the pan to form the sides of a crust to contain the fillings.
Filling the spaghetti pie…
Put a layer of faux ricotta cheese in the indentation of the spaghetti pie crust. Then add a layer of sauce (shown in the next step). You can add any of your favorite cooked meat and vegetable toppings to your sauce or put them on top of the sauce like a pizza.
Using leftovers in spaghetti pie makes this meal frugal and delicious
I made the most delicious batch of tomato and vegetable sauce for dinner a couple of days before I made this spaghetti pie. The leftover sauce was full of onions, sweet peppers, garlic, carrots, zucchini and tomatoes along with fresh herbs from my herb garden. This is the way I love to make sauce and sneak veggies into a meal.
Add those bits of leftovers from your refrigerator into the sauce. I had a pound of sautéed ground sweet Italian sausage leftover from another dinner along with a small amount of cooked ground beef. I added both the sausage and ground beef to the sauce for this spaghetti pie.
After layering on the saucy goodness, now comes the cheesy part (my favorite part)! Load that shredded mozzarella all over the top of the sauce. Be sure to sprinkle the cheese all the way to the edges of the crust. The extra cheese on the crust gets a little crispy, adds extra flavor and holds the pie all together. So load that cheese on! If you have more parmesan, sprinkle that on top of the mozzarella as well.
Bake The Spaghetti Pie
Put the spaghetti pie into a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 20-30 minutes…until the the pie gets all bubbly and the cheeses get all melty and slightly browned. To add a bit more color (which I did), put it under the broiler for a minute or two. Keep an eye on it, because it browns fast!
Baked spaghetti pie…the finished product
Oh my graciousness, baked spaghetti pie is a true masterpiece when it comes out of the oven! So pretty, so delicious! Let it rest for a few minutes (5-10) before cutting into it, so the slices will hold their shape and not oooze out all over the place.
Add a little fresh herbacious goodness…
Of course you could use dried basil and sprinkle it on top, but I prefer to add some nice fresh basil from my garden. Fresh is best!
Baked spaghetti pie is the ultimate in leftover leftovers!
If you have any leftover spaghetti pie…bonus! Just put it back into the oven to heat through, cut and serve. Or you can reheat it in the microwave. I love it served with a little side salad for an incredibly delicious meal.
In closing…
Well folks, I hope you get a chance to make this spaghetti pie using leftovers…you’ll be so glad you did. I’ve honestly made myself hungry writing this blog and I want a piece of spaghetti pie right now!
Take care. Be safe. Virtual hugs. Please be sure to Like, Share and Follow my Pages. Thanks in advance!
Chauncey
P.S. For another frugal and delicious meal, check out this blog post…
https://frugalanddelicious.com/how-to-make-delicious-instant-pot-garbage-soup/
