A few weeks ago, I took the kids to the bookstore and said that they could pick 2 books each. They were thrilled to have their choices "for keeping," as they say, as they are quite accustomed to our weekly trips to the library and having to return books.
Anyway, kiddo #2 chose a children's cookbook. I was a bit skeptical at first, but he insisted he wanted it. I have to tell you that it has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. I don't think any book has gotten used so much!
In the weeks since he brought home the book, kiddo #2 (along with his grandfather or myself) has made several of the recipes and they have actually been delicious. This morning, we baked a cookie recipe that went over especially well. The others have included "Spaghetti Pie" (absolutely delicious- I'm going to share the recipe), homemade lemonade and twice stuffed potatoes. Now we anxiously await the next choice. He goes through the book, writes down the ingredients needed and we add it to the family shopping list.
So here is the Spaghetti Pie recipe:
2 eggs
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground beef or turkey (we used turkey)
2 carrots, grated
1 cup cottage cheese or part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch pie plate with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Then, in a large bowl, use a fork to beat together the eggs, 2 teaspoons of the oil, and Parmesan cheese until smooth. Add the spaghetti and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Toss well to coat.
Turn the spaghetti mixture into the greased pie plate.
With the back of a wooden spoon, press the spaghetti over the bottom and up the side of a pie plate to form a "crust."
Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the grated carrot until well-mixed. Turn off the ehat and stir in the tomato sauce.
Spoon the cottage cheese over the bottom of the spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with the meat sauce mixture. Cover the pie plate with aluminum foil.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the pie evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake until the mozzarella cheese melts, about 5 minutes longer. Let the pie stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy! :-)
