A while ago, Joanna told me a really cool story…
Last year Anton’s elementary school held a fundraiser called Eat Pie Shop (!), where they served tables of homemade pies ranging from sweet pies like chocolate, apple, crumble, and savory ones like frittatas and quiches. The delicious food included spaghetti pie, which Joanna says everyone loved.
Not only kids, but also adults. Have you heard of this dish? It’s exactly as the name suggests. It’s a dish of tomato and cheese spaghetti baked in a pie plate and served in a wedge shape. The crispy edges stand out.
So when I was flipping through Jessie Sheehan’s new book, it seemed to make perfect sense. Salty Cheese Herb Crispy: A Baked SnackI stopped at her cheesy marinara spaghetti pie recipe. Sheehan, who hosts the Cherry Bomb podcast “She’s My Cherry Pie” and is featured on Instagram with her cheerful signature greeting “Peeps!”, is the embodiment of fun. Her book is all about quick and easy cooking (her 100 recipes can be made in an hour or less using basic grocery items) and fun dishes like spaghetti pie, but it’s also all about bagels and cream cheese snack breads, jalapeño cheddar shortbread buttons, and things like popovers, hand pies, and party-making treats. party.
Baked Spaghetti Pie with Cheese Marinara
at Salty Cheese Herb Crispy: A snackable bake, By Jesse Sheehan
Makes one 8-inch round pie.
Jessie says: Wrap the spaghetti in a clean dish towel (this will prevent the little broken noodles from spilling all over your kitchen) and cut the spaghetti into thirds before you boil it. This will cook it faster (in just 5 minutes!) and make it easier to cut into pie pieces.
Olive oil for cleaning the pan
Divide in ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (88 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese, and add more for serving.
2 large eggs
1½ cups (382 g) store-bought marinara sauce or homemade marinara sauce (plus extra for serving)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ to ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ to ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
1¼ cups (125 g) low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, finely chopped, plus additional for sprinkling
⅓ cup (76 g) ricotta
¾ pound (340 g) spaghetti, cooked al dente
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment with more oil and sprinkle ¼ cup (25 g) of the Parmesan cheese on the bottom and sides of the pan to coat.
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk in the marinara, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, ½ cup (50 g) of the Parmesan cheese, ¾ cup (75 g) of the mozzarella cheese, and the ricotta cheese. Fold the cooked spaghetti into the prepared cake pan with a flexible spatula. Press down with the spatula to compact it. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cake pan from the oven, sprinkle the remaining ½ cup (50 g) of mozzarella cheese over the “pie,” return the pan to the oven, and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted. If you want the cheese to be slightly browned and crispy, place the pie under the broiler briefly, watching carefully for about 2 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the “pie” onto a serving plate. (Tapping the bottom of the cake pan a few times may help to free it.) Let rest for another 5-10 minutes, then cut the “pie” into wedges and top with additional Parmesan cheese and sauce, if desired.
Would you like to make this? What other fun dinners do you recommend?
PS 5-ingredient dinner and pasta sauce taste test.
(Photo courtesy: Niko Shinko.)
