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
- Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
- 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.
- Add the ground chicken, oregano, and cinnamon. Cook the ground chicken over medium heat until it’s no long pink.
- Take the meat mixture off the heat, add the 36 ounces of marinara sauce, and stir to combine.
- 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)
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Toss the eggs, pasta, sauce, and cheese together with tongs until thoroughly mixed together.
- Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray, make sure it’s latched, and put it on a baking sheet. (***see note)
- Add the pasta mixture to the spring form pan and spread it out evenly.
- Add the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and spread them out evenly. Make sure it’s around the sides so you get a crunchy crust.
- Top with some dried parsley for color.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- 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.