Spaghetti pie is the perfect dish to add to your weeknight dinner rotation. This delicious and easy-to-make casserole is sure to be a hit with your entire family. Made with all their favorites, pasta, cheese, and hearty meat sauce in one easy-to-serve dish.
This is a great recipe for a family dinner, brunch, or weeknight dinner. It’s easy to make and can be made ahead of time, so all you have to do is pop it in the oven.
You can freeze spaghetti pie cooked or uncooked. Wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. It can stay frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before baking or reheating.
This spaghetti pie recipe is easy to customize to your tastes. If you prefer a vegetarian version, simply leave out the ground beef or substitute it with a meat alternative. You can also add your favorite vegetables to the recipe, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, or spinach.
Spaghetti pie is also a great dish to make ahead of time. Assemble the casserole as directed, then cover it with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours until you’re ready to bake. Weeknight dinners just got easier!
Ingredients to make spaghetti pie
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Spaghetti Pie. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- spaghetti
- ground beef (or Italian sausage, ground chicken, or ground turkey)
- olive oil
- onions
- garlic
- Romano or Parmesan cheese
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- eggs
- tomato sauce
- unsalted butter
- salt and black pepper
- fresh basil
- Italian parsley
- Italian seasonings
How to make meat sauce
- Add a teaspoon of olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic to a large skillet.
- Cook over medium-high heat for one minute.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet.
- Cook until all the beef is well browned. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Add the pasta sauce to the meat mixture.
- Mix the sauce into the beef and let it simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the amount of liquid in the sauce. It should be fairly thick before adding it to the pie.
*I have seen recipes that add bell pepper to the sauce. Feel free to add it to the pan when you’re sauteing the garlic and onion.
How to prepare pasta
- Cook spaghetti per instructions on the box for aldente, then drain well in a colander.
- Place the cooked spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the butter until melted.
- Add the beaten eggs and grated Romano cheese to the pasta.
- Toss to combine until well blended.
*This recipe is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti.
How to prepare cheese filling
- Add the ricotta cheese, egg, Romano cheese, fresh herbs, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl.
- Mix together until well combined.
*I have a friend that uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I have never tried it, but she says no one can tell the difference.
How to make Spaghetti Pie
- Place the spaghetti in a buttered 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or an 8-inch springform pan. Press to form the spaghetti crust in the pie dish.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the spaghetti.
- Spread the meat sauce over top of the cheese layer.
- Place the prepared pie on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (place a rimmed baking sheet under the pie dish).
- Carefully remove the spaghetti pie from the oven. Top it with the shredded mozzarella, and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the cheese.
- Place the pie back in the oven and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. The cooling time will help it set up.
Wouldn’t you love to taste this delicious spaghetti pie? I like to think of it as comfort food, and since you can make it up ahead of time, it’s perfect for busy weeknights or a special dish for the weekend.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can. Spaghetti pie can be frozen either before or after baking. To freeze before baking, assemble the pie as usual, cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze after baking, allow the pie to cool completely, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost either version overnight n the refrigerator before baking.
Absolutely, Yes, spaghetti pie can be made without meat by using a meat substitute. You can also use mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or eggplant in place of the meat or simply leave out the meat altogether.
To make spaghetti pie healthier, use whole wheat or gluten-free pasta. Look for a low-sugar tomato sauce, or make your own. Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, and add vegetables to the sauce.
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Spaghetti Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch deep dish pie pan or 8 inch springform pan
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 pound ground beef lean
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce Your favorite brand or use my recipe
- salt and black pepper to taste
Spaghetti Layer
- 6 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup Romano cheese grated Locatelli brand is recommended – or grated parmesan
Cheese Layer
- 1 cup ricotta cheese whole milk or part-skim
- 1 large egg lighty beaten
- 1 tablespoon Romano Cheese grated Locatelli brand is recommended – or grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh basil finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Topping Layer
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
Meat Sauce
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic to a skillet over medium-high heat and cook for one minute.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until all the beef is well browned.Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Add the spaghetti sauce to the meat and let it simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the amount of liquid in the sauce. It should be fairly thick before adding it to the pie.
Spaghetti Layer
- Cook spaghetti per instructions on the box for aldente, then drain well in a colander.
- Place the drained spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the butter until melted.
- Add the beaten eggs and grated Romano cheese to the pasta and toss to combine.
Cheese Layer
- Add the ricotta cheese, egg, Romano cheese, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl and mix together until well combined.
Assembly and Bake
- Place the spaghetti in a buttered 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or an 8-inch springform pan. Press to form the crust for the spaghetti pie.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the spaghetti.
- Spread the meat sauce over top of the cheese layer.
- Place the prepared pie on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Carefully remove the spaghetti pie from the oven. Top it with the shredded mozzarella and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the cheese.
- Place the pie back in the oven and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. The cooling time will help it set up.
- Serve with garlic bread and a side salad!
Brian L Church says
Ok well , I stumbled on this website it has made me a dang terrific cook!! Thank you Chef Dennis! I made this spagetti pie and it came out perfect. Being a retired pizza maker I did stick straight to the recipe but added sliced sausage to 1/2 of the pie giving it a different and fantastic spin on it. Shared it to my friends and they fell in love with it. I would love to post a picture of it. I paired the dish with one of my favorite breweries to compliment the taste. Just perfect. Every 2 weeks going to try another recipe, Maybe the pork marsala next!!
NATALIA says
Wow, this spaghetti pie is incredibly tasty! I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful it turned out. I followed the recipe to a tee, and didn’t need to make any adjustments. Thanks for sharing!
Moop Brown says
I’ve never had spaghetti pie before. Your recipe was easy to follow and very tasty, everyone enjoyed it.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh Dennis talk about a trip down memory lane! I can remember Mom always making a pie like this with leftover pasta. She’d throw whatever she had leftover into the pie and make a ‘skettie pie. Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome recipe!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
Chef, I made this spaghetti pie with my own Bolognese sauce. It turned out to be heavenly and delicious, and the kids loved it1 thanks for the inspiration!
Isabelle says
This turned out delicious. I used ground chicken instead of beef to make a chicken spaghetti pie and would definitely make it again, probably will beef and turkey too.
Kristina says
My kids get a kick out of this recipe and request it often. They won’t eat lasagna, and even though this is similar they love that they can eat “pie” and spaghetti in 1 sitting.
Cathleen says
I am obsessed with this spaghetti pie!! I have made it twice already this week. Thanks so much for sharing such a great recipe 🙂
Brian L Church says
try putting sliced peperoni or sliced sausage just below the final cheese topping. OR let the meat sit on top and let them crisp up allowing the juices flow into the main body. yum yum!!
Erin says
I love that this freezes well! I had to try it. And it was fantastic! I left out the meat and everyone still really enjoyed it. Thanks so much!
sophie says
This dish was a perfect comfort food with its delicious and cheesy flavors, and it was surprisingly easy to make.
Mikayla says
What a fun way to eat spaghetti! My kiddo loved helping make it and kept talking about making “getti pie” again for dinner!