Easy Spaghetti Pie Recipe

This cheesy spaghetti pie is loaded with comforting, familiar flavors of traditional spaghetti with meat sauce, but layered in a pie pan! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner to repurpose leftover spaghetti into a whole new dish!

 

Easy Spaghetti Pie Recipe

• This spaghetti pie is the best way to repurpose leftover spaghetti! Spaghetti is one of those meals we have almost every week but after a while it can get a little boring. This spaghetti pie is the best way to transform those leftovers into a whole new meal without using too many extra ingredients. The novel pie shape and the added cheesiness of the spaghetti is sure to have your family asking for seconds!
• This recipe is super versatile and a great way to use up what you’ve got in the fridge! Feel free to add Italian sausage instead of ground beef. Throw in diced bell pepper along with the onion. Or add fresh herbs to the sauce for extra flavor. This spaghetti pie can easily be customized to suit your family’s taste.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Pie

• Spaghetti: You’ll only need half a pound of cooked spaghetti for this recipe which is why it’s one of my favorites to make after a Sunday night spaghetti dinner. You could also use angel hair pasta or linguine instead.
• Onion, Garlic, & Italian Seasoning: The easiest way to dress up any store-bought jar of pasta sauce is by adding onion, garlic, and dried herbs that have been sauteed in olive oil. Use your favorite dried herbs for this pasta sauce recipe.
• Ground Beef: I use 85/15 ground beef for this spaghetti casserole. Remember that fat equals flavor so if you use a leaner cut you’ll lose some of that delicious flavor.
• Spaghetti Sauce: I usually use Prego and for this recipe, I use half a 24-ounce jar. Feel free to grab your favorite store-bought jar of tomato sauce. Or you can use my super easy meat sauce recipe instead!
• Cottage Cheese: Use ricotta cheese if you prefer. Either way, don’t use part-skim or low-fat for this recipe. 4% milkfat cottage cheese and whole milk ricotta cheese will give you the best flavor and a creamier texture.
• Shredded Mozzarella: Whole milk mozzarella adds the most flavor with an extra melty texture. Use your favorite melty mozzarella cheese.
• Shredded Parmesan: I prefer freshly shredded Parmesan because it melts better than pre-shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds richness to the cheesy spaghetti. It also helps to incorporate the cheeses throughout the spaghetti. Feel free to omit if you don’t have any on hand.

How to Make Spaghetti Pie Casserole

Saute onion then add garlic and Italian seasoning. Add ground beef and brown, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks. Stir in spaghetti sauce. 

Combine spaghetti noodles, cottage cheese/ricotta cheese, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, heavy cream, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper using tongs. Transfer to a lightly greased pie pan.

Top pasta with meat sauce.

Then add the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pasta is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Broil for 1-2 minutes if desired to brown the cheese.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then cut into slices. Garnish with Parmesan and freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Spaghetti Pie

• Cook the spaghetti al dente. If you’re using leftover spaghetti, make sure it’s cooked al dente. If you’re cooking spaghetti specifically for this recipe, cook it for 1-2 minutes less than the recommendation on the package. Since we are baking the pasta again, keeping the spaghetti al dente is really helpful in creating a delicious texture once the spaghetti casserole is baked.
• Spray the tin foil with olive oil spray before covering the spaghetti pie so that the cheese doesn’t stick to it. There’s nothing worse than pulling the tin foil off your casserole and having that delicious layer of melted cheese come off right along with it. A quick mist of cooking spray will ensure that the cheese stays put once you pull back to the foil to reveal the final dish!
• Let it rest! Similar to lasagna, you want to let the spaghetti pie rest before slicing into it. This will allow the moisture to be reabsorbed and ensure that it holds together nicely.
• Serve it with extra sauce on the side! If you’re a sauce lover like me, serve this spaghetti pie with some sauce on the side also! Adding too much sauce to the pie itself means it will take longer to bake and it might end up watery as the water from the sauce will cook out during the baking process.

Making Spaghetti Pie Ahead of Time

• This spaghetti pie is one of my favorite make-ahead dishes! It can be prepped and stored in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance.
• Follow the recipe instructions through step #7 and place the spaghetti pie in the fridge.
• Let spaghetti pie sit out on the counter for 1 hour before baking to come to room temperature.
• Then plan to add an extra 10 minutes (or more) of baking to account for the colder temperature.

Storing Leftover Spaghetti Pie

Store leftover spaghetti pie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing Spaghetti Pie

This spaghetti pie is a great freezer meal! You can freeze it before or after baking it. For best results, cover the spaghetti pie tightly with foil and then place it in a large freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before baking or reheating.

Reheating Spaghetti Pie

My favorite way to reheat leftover spaghetti pie is in the oven or the air fryer. Bake/air fry at 350 degrees until warmed through. You can also microwave it in 30-60 second increments until warm.

Serve Spaghetti Pie With

• easy garlic bread
• cheesy Caprese garlic bread
• cheesy olive bread
• simple house salad
• air fryer green beans
• air fryer asparagus

Try these family-favorite pastas next!

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