This is our second iteration of the great Spaghetti Pie experiment, and after some learnings from our first try, we made some alterations and now feel ready to post! There were two big changes from the first try to the second. For the initial attempt, we arranged a thin layer of ground meat as the base for our pie, and we used a springform pan (to try to hold the pie together as it cooked). What we found was that the ground meat “disc” under the pie shrank as it cooked (as meat tends to do due to the protein structures), and the spaghetti dried out a bit on top as it cooked. So, for the second attempt, we changed up our cooking vessel (traditional pie plate), our method of holding the pie together (using a pizza dough as a crust). The result was that the spaghetti was easier to contain during the serving process, and we had a more cohesive dish. Then, for good measure, we added a layer of cheese to the top to prevent any crisping of the top spaghetti strands, which worked really well and added a nice visual touch to the dish.
Anyway, I tell you all of that to share that cooking is a journey. Ideas don’t always work quite the way you want them to the first time you try them…but if you reflect and go back to the drawing board, you can come up with some cool stuff (or new ways of doing tried and true things that can add some flare to classics!).
We had some leftover dough after we put it in the pie dish, so we cut it off the pie and used it to make garlic knots on a whim. It worked surprisingly well, and we will make those again to post that recipe as a side dish in the future.
Time: 2 Hours (most of which is dough rise time)
Ingredients:
- Garlic and Herb Pizza Dough (either make your own via our linked recipe or go with store bought)
- Spaghetti
- Ground Meat. We used Turkey, but Beef would work well here too
- Onion
- Garlic
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Spinach
- Tomato Sauce
- Shredded Mozzarella
Method:
- Prep your pizza dough, and set it aside to rise (for about an hour).
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and Roast your Garlic.
- As your dough rises, bring a pot of water to a boil, and when it’s ready, add and cook your spaghetti.
- As your water heats, dice your onion. Then, heat some olive oil in a large pan, and add your onion. Sprinkle in your basil and oregano, and cook until the onion turns opaque.
- Add your ground meat to the pan, and break it up into small bits with a spatula. Cook to brown.
- Add a copious handful or two of spinach, and allow it to wilt.
- When your spaghetti is cooked, drain the water, and pour your pasta into your meat and veggies pan.
- Pour your tomato sauce atop, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and cook off most of the liquid.
- Spray a pie pan with some olive oil.
- Sprinkle some all purpose flour on a large surface, and roll your pizza dough out thinly (we like a French Rolling Pin for this). Then, place it in your pie plate, and make sure it fits flatly with no air bubbles underneath. Use a paring knife to cut any excess dough off the edge of the pie plate.
- Spread your Roasted Garlic across your pizza dough, and then scoop in your spaghetti filling. Top with your shredded mozzarella
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
