Spaghetti and Meatball Pie

from ButterYum

serves 12

Ingredients

Filling:

• • 1/2 pound leftover cooked spaghetti (weight before cooking)

  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups leftover tomato sauce (like my San Marzano Sauce Tomato)

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  • 20 medium size cooked meatballs, chopped

  • (optional) 1 cup fresh veggies such as tomatoes, zucchini, etc.

Topping:

• • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

  • (optional) 6 medium size cooked meatballs, sliced in half

Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, beat eggs together.

  3. Add pasta, sauce, and both cheeses; stir to combine.

  4. Pour half of the spaghetti mixture into the prepared springform pan.

  5. Add chopped meatballs and optional veggies (if using).

  6. Add remaining spaghetti mixture.

  7. Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese (press everything down to make it compact).

  8. Dot the top with the optional meatball halves (if using).

  9. Cover springform pan with nonstick foil and place on a rimmed half sheet pan.

  10. Bake for 55 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese browns nicely on top.

  11. Remove from oven and rest for at least 20 minutes (30 is even better). Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8-12.

My notes - I prefer to serve extra sauce on the side (if the pie has too much sauce, it won't slice nicely). You can make this without meatballs. Alternately, Italian sausage would be a great substitution for the meatballs, and I think sauteed mushrooms and chopped basil would be great additions as well.