Greek Spaghetti Pie

I saw a video of a spaghetti pie on Instagram during the holidays, and I thought I’m going to make that. In fact, as soon as I saw the video, I sent it to Jon and told him I was going to make it. I changed it up and used bucatini, and it was really good. Then the holidays happened, and now it’s January. Now I don’t want bucatini, and I don’t want extra cheese, and I don’t want anything more than to feel as good as I do in the warmer months, when I live on watermelon and chopped salads and white wine.

So I changed it up again, both with the flavors and the base. I want it to feel indulgent, but not cost you a day’s worth of calories. If you follow my recipe exactly and cut the pie into 10 slices, one slice has about 467 calories. For this pie, I measured everything very carefully, plugged it into My Fitness Pal recipes, and divided it up.

I love love love cinnamon in spaghetti. It’s a Greek thing (I’m not Greek), and if you’ve never had it, you have to try it just once! I started putting cinnamon in spaghetti and chili last year, and now I always do it. It sounds weird, but it tastes delicious.

Total Time: 90 minutes

one of my favorite pictures so far!

Serves: 10

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 box whole wheat spaghetti (about 1 pound)

Olive oil

½ large yellow onion

1 pound lean ground chicken

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

36 ounces marinara sauce, plus more for serving

1 15-ounce container part skim ricotta

5 ounces freshly grated parmesan, divided in half

2 eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature

8 ounces freshly grated part skim mozzarella

Dried parsley

Fresh basil

Directions

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
2. Add a few tablespoons of olive to a saute pan over medium heat. When the oil heats up, add the onion, and saute until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Add the ground chicken, oregano, and cinnamon. Cook the ground chicken over medium heat until it’s no long pink.
4. Take the meat mixture off the heat, add the 36 ounces of marinara sauce, and stir to combine.
5. Add the spaghetti to a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta and 2-3 ounces of the parmesan on top, and the cover it with the sauce. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to cool down. (**see note)
6. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Toss the eggs, pasta, sauce, and cheese together with tongs until thoroughly mixed together.
8. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray, make sure it’s latched, and put it on a baking sheet. (***see note)
9. Add the pasta mixture to the spring form pan and spread it out evenly.
10. Add the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and spread them out evenly. Make sure it’s around the sides so you get a crunchy crust.
11. Top with some dried parsley for color.
12. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
13. Remove from the oven, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with extra marinara, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper flakes.

**Note: Using room temperature ingredients and eggs ensures that the eggs won’t scramble when you add them to the pasta mixture.

***Note: I always put casseroles, lasagnas, pies, and most other baked dishes on a sheet pan just to make it easier to get in and out of the oven, and to make sure nothing bubbles over and spills in the oven.