Spaghetti Pie

It is so easy. And I love it.

Spaghetti.

There is just something about it.

When I was younger I would request it for my birthday meal. And still enjoy it today!

Fast. Cheap. And easy. What's not to love?

The other day when I got a hankering for spaghetti, I decided to do some investigating to find a recipe* for spaghetti with a twist. And this is what I found.

Spaghetti Pie
(Kraft)

1/2 pound lean ground beef-cooked & drained
1 cup pasta sauce
3 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
3 cups cooked spaghetti
1 cup mozzarella cheese- shredded


Mix meat and pasta sauce; set aside. Beat eggs and Parmesan cheese in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add pasta; toss to coat.

Spread pasta mixture onto bottom and up side of lightly greased 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; top with meat mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350◦ for 20 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted.
Let stand 5 min. Cut into six wedges to serve.

I thought 3 eggs sounded a little much. So I only put in 2. It worked fine. But probably would have resulted in a more clean-cut-pie-slice-look if I had added the 3rd.



Still delicious. And fun.

*The Kraft website is a WONDERFUL resource for recipes. You can type in a couple ingredients and it will bring up lots of recipes for you to choose from. Check it out: Canada USA (be careful when you click on the US site. I had my volume up and it almost scared me right out of my pajama pants!)

Fast, Cheap and Easy

and delicious.

I found this recipe while flipping through a magazine while the Kindergarten class I was subbing for was enjoying their nap time. It looked easy and yummy. And I have a bunch of broccoli left over from our Relief Society dinner.

It was so fast and easy.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
from http://www.campbellskitchen.com/

1/2 of a 1-pound package linguine or spaghetti

1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

2 Tablespoons butter

1 pound chicken breast- cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prepare the linguine according to package directions in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking.

Drain the linguine mixture well in a colander.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Stir the soup, milk, cheese, pepper and linguine mixture in the skillet. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally.

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

I read some of the reviews from other people who have made it. They recommended adding a little garlic. I had a little bit of Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese so I put that in there. I am not sure what difference it made but it was tasty. But a little garlic would make it even more delightful.

I LOVE that you put the broccoli in with the pasta to cook it.

We ate it with a side of carrot sticks. And not just any carrot sticks. The BEST carrots in the world. Truly. They are Al's Carrots grown in St. Paul, Alberta. They are only available at Sobey's (to my knowledge). When I bought some last week the cashier said they will be gone in 3 weeks. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up!

Arrivederci Fettuccine

Here is another delightful recipe from Pillsbury.
Fettuccine with Chicken & Herbed Vegetables

12 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion- chopped (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 pounds chicken- cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small green pepper- cut into bite sized strips
2 cloves garlic- finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 small zucchini- cut in half lengthwise- sliced
3 large tomatoes- seeded- chopped (3 cups)
3 Tablespoons chopped basil leaves
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Cook fettuccine. Drain; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile in a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

Stir in chicken, bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned. Stir in zucchini, tomatoes, basil and oregano. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Place fettuccine on serving platter; spoon chicken mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Why is it that the pictures in the recipe book (or online) look sooo much better than what it looks like when I make it?

My taste testers stated that it would be bland without the parmesan cheese (we just used grated instead of shredded). This could have been because I used dried basil and oregano instead of fresh. I don't know if that really makes a difference... I am spice challenged. But I do know it is delicious. And healthy!

On top of spaghetti. All covered in cheese.

I don't remember ever having spaghetti & meatballs growing up. But I always wanted to have them because they just look fun. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.

To fulfill my childhood dream.

Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs & Spaghetti

from Pillsbury

4 mozzarella string cheese- cut into 18 (3/4 inch) cubes
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 jar (48 ounces) pasta sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 Tablespoons onions- finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 egg
12 ounces cooked spaghetti
2/3 cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese

Place cheese cubes in small plastic zipper bag. Seal and freeze for at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375◦. Line 15x10x1 inch pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix bread crumbs and 3 Tablespoons of pasta sauce. Stir in beef, onion, salt, oregano and egg. Shape mixture into 18 inch balls. Press 1 cheese cube into center of each ball, sealing it inside. Gently place in pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour remaining pasta sauce into 5 quart pot. Cover; heat to simmering over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Be cafeful when doing this step. See that little geyser at the top of the picture. It caused a lot of splattering. Unfortuntely my cookbook got the brunt of it.

Gently stir in meatballs; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, cook and drain spaghetti. Keep warm.
Serve meatballs and sauce over spaghetti. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

My meatballs didn't survive going from the pan to the pot. Or being stirred in the pot. Now I can see why my Mom never bothered making spaghetti and meatballs. I am not sure what would make them keep their shape...

*baking longer?

*making them bigger?

Even though it wasn't as meatbally as I had hoped, it was still fun and delicious. And I will for sure be making this recipe again!

Lasagna. Take dos.

I decided to try another lasagna.

A Lasagna with Mex-Appeal to be exact.

from Looneyspoons

2 cups chopped onions

2 cloves garlic- minced

1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper

1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes-undrained, cut up

1 cup salsa

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 can (19 ounces) black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can (19 ounces) red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

8 (7 inch) flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 small tomatoes- thinly sliced

Sour cream (optional)

Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray. Add onions, garlic, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salsa and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in black beans and kidney beans. Remove from heat.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread 1/3 of the bean mixture over bottom. Cover with half the tortillas (overlapping as needed), and half the cheese. Spoon another 1/3 of bean mixture on top of cheese, followed by remaining tortillas, and last of bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with tomato slices and green onions. If desired, serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

It was pretty tasty. But next time I think I would make a few changes.

Like replace one of the cans of beans with chicken. It was a little too beany for me.

And it makes alot. So unless you are feeding a lot of people- you might want to half it. I think 3 of us had it for 3 meals and still ended up throwing the last bit out as we had had enough.

Yummo... well sorta.

I tried my first Rachel Ray recipe. She said it was the perfect American meal- a combo of Cheeseburgers, Chili and Mac & Cheese. It was super easy. Not as amazing as I was hoping- but still yummy.

Cheeseburger Chili Mac and Cheese

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 to 2 cups beef stock (depending on how liquid-y you want it)
1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar (the sharper the better!)



Preheat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat for the pasta.

Place a medium pot over medium-high heat with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the meat to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes.

Add the onion and chili powder to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the ketchup, mustard and beef stock to the pot, bring up to a bubble and simmer until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.
While the chili is working, salt the boiling water and drop the pasta in. Cook to al dente according to package directions then drain thoroughly and return it to the pot.

Add the chili to the pot with the pasta and give everything a good toss. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the shredded cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese. Serve with a simple salad alongside.



And that is what we did.


(we didn't have any macaroni so I used penne noodles. Wouldn't recommend it- they were a little too large.)

We had something else with our meal... which was truly the highlight of the meal.

A-maize-ing Cornbread

(From Looneyspoons)

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg- lightly beaten

1/2 cup cottage cheese

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons butter-melted

1 can (4 1/2 ounces) diced green chilies- drained (didn't have- so didn't use)

1 cup whole kernal corn (thaw first if frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, cottage cheese, honey, butter, chilies, and corn. Beat with a whisk until well blended.

Add corn mixture to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into an 8x8 inch baking pan (I used a round pan) that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into 9 squares and serve warm.

The cottage cheese sounded a little strange. But it totally cooks out so you don't know it is there. It helps make the corn bread moist- because there isn't anything much worse than dry cornbread.

Veggie Lasagna

I have a LOT of recipe books. And I always want to try new recipes. So my personal challenge this year is to make 2 new recipes a week.

And share them with you!

So here we go-

"Not Nearly as Complicated as it Looks" Veggie Lasagna

from Looneyspoons cookbook

(Great recipe. Will for sure make it again. See notes at bottom.)

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic-minced

2 cups sliced mushrooms*

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup chopped sweet red peppers

1 cup thinly sliced zucchini

1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes- undrained- cut up

1 cup "Italian-style" tomato sauce

1 can (5 1/2 ounces) tomato paste

1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles- uncooked

2 cups low-fat (1%) cottage cheese

1 egg white

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach- thawed, squeezed dry & chopped**

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, red pepper and zucchini. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 7-8 minutes.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce, basil, oregano, brown sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg white, Parmesan cheese, and spinach. Set aside. In a separate bowl, toss mozzarella and cheddar cheeses together until well mixed.

To assemble lasagna spray DEEP**** 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles over top. Spread 2 cups sauce over noodles, followed by 1/2 of the cottage cheese/ spinach mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese.*** Top with 3 more noodles, 2 cups of sauce, 1/2 of the cottage cheese/ spinach mixture and 1/3 of the cheese.*** Layer final 3 noodles on top, followed by 2 cups of sauce (you should be left with 1/3 of the cheese).

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 10 minutes before slicing. (Be patient. It will hold together much better if you wait!)



Makes 8 servings. (34 calories & 8.6 g fat per serving)



I think it took me longer to type that up than it did to make it!

Changes I did or will make:
*I (nor any of my family members) don't like mushrooms. So I didn't want to put them in. But I felt like 2 cups was a significant amount of an ingredient to just leave out. We had some leftover chicken so I cut it up and added it instead.
** This was a little too much spinach. It wasn't bad- but just a lot. So unless you have a great love for spinach, I would put a little less next time.
***So I have a problem. I just skim recipes before making them. And then will realize I missed a step when it is a little too late. I didn't realize there was supposed to be cheese layered throughout until I was at the 2nd cheese layer. I decided to just put lots of cheese on top. It ended up tasty. But oh my- it would be even more tasty with cheese throughout. So ALWAYS read your recipe thoroughly before making it!
****I did not use a deep pan. And had to put a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch the drippings that were surely (and did) going to happen. It doesn't necessarily be a big pan, but just not a shallow glass one!!