Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Have you ever tried a spaghetti pie? It’s a delicious alternative to the same ol’ spaghetti night, and makes a terrific weeknight meal!

The Italian dinner table is the epicenter of everything that happens in the lives of the people who sit at it.

A slice of spaghetti pie in a white bowl.

Often large and welcoming, this table, with all its comfortable chairs, seems to call out to you…

“Mangia!! Mangia!!” (Eat!! Eat!!) And typically, you do just that.

Italian meals are an experience unto themselves. There is a whole world of excitement, emotion, and hands waving passionately in the air with every word. You come away from a meal feeling as though you’ve experienced a lifetime of emotion in one evening’s dinner. You feel a strong sense of family and contentedness. It’s a fabulous experience. I highly recommend it.

What Is Spaghetti Pie?

Spaghetti pie is basically a casserole. Although, many people bake this in a round dish and cut it like a slice of pie.

But this isn’t essential to the recipe. I make mine in a regular casserole dish and cut it into squares and it works just fine.

It’s basically all of the things that make Italian pasta a totally comforting experience. It’s a mix of pasta, sauce, cheese, spices, and, if you so choose, some meat as well.

Can I Use Ground Beef In Spaghetti Pie?

I use ground turkey in this recipe, but you can easily substitute with ground beef, or leave it out completely for a vegetarian meal. It will cook up the same with or without meat.

Baked Spaghetti Pie

Sometimes, you need something a little different from your regular bowl of spaghetti. And that’s where this baked spaghetti pie comes into play. It’s a great way to mix things up for pasta night, and it pairs well with a simple green salad and a side of crusty garlic bread.

You’ll take all that spaghetti, mix it with some egg, sauce, spices, and cheese and bake it like a casserole. So really, this could be called a baked spaghetti casserole.

A casserole dish of just-baked spaghetti pie still in it's casserole dish.

Want It Cheesier?

If you love a cheesy casserole, here are some cheesy additions you can stir into the mixture before baking.

  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Cottage cheese – yes, it works well! It’s also great in lasagna!
  • Ricotta cheese

You can mix these in, or create a top cheese layer over the casserole. This works best with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

What You’ll Need For This Easy Spaghetti Pie

Oil – This can be any oil you feel comfortable cooking with. I used coconut oil, but grapeseed, safflower, or olive oil will work well too.

Ground turkey – You can use regular ground turkey, lean ground turkey, or ground beef. You can even use a combination of ground beef and pork if you prefer.

Red onion – You don’t have to worry too much about getting a fine chop here unless you prefer the texture. A rough chop will work just as well. And if you don’t have red onions, a yellow or white onion will work just as well.

Garlic powder – If you prefer to use fresh garlic, use about 6 medium cloves and mince them.

Onion powder – It might seem like a lot to have both onions and onion powder, but I promise, it’s not.

Canned fire-roasted tomatoes – You can use regular diced tomatoes too. Look for tomatoes with no sugar added.

Balsamic vinegar – You can use the vinegar as is, or if you prefer a deeper vinegar flavor, make a balsamic reduction by boiling some vinegar down by half and using a tablespoon of that.

Eggs – If you prefer to use just egg whites, use 8 of them.

Italian Seasoning – You can use store-bought or make your own. The link is above.

Whole grain spaghetti noodles – Cook the pasta separately to package directions. The flavor will be greatly improved if you salt the water. Cook spaghetti to al dente.

Parmesan cheese – Grated is best here. Shredded will work, but it won’t do the same job of “gluing” the pasta together with the egg.

Note: If you have a spaghetti sauce that you prefer, use a 30 oz. jar of it (or as close as you can get to 28 oz.) and omit the fire-roasted tomatoes. Also, reduce the vinegar to 1 teaspoon.

How To Make Spaghetti Pie

An oven display set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Ground meat added to skillet.

Warm the oil in a large skillet.

Adding chopped onions to the ground meat.

Add the onions.

Cooking the meat and onions until the meat is fully cooked.

Fully cook the meat and onions and set aside to cool slightly.

4 cracked eggs sitting in a large mixing bowl.

Crack your eggs in a large bowl.

The eggs sit whisked in the mixing bowl with the whisk still sitting in the bowl.

Whisk until mostly smooth.

The crushed tomatoes added to the eggs.

Add the crushed tomatoes to the eggs.

The grated parmesan added to the eggs and tomatoes in the mixing bowl.

Add the grated parmesan to the eggs and tomatoes.

The spices added to the mixing bowl.

Add the spices to the mixing bowl too.

The egg mixture all whisked together for the sauce that will make hold together this spaghetti pie.

Whisk all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.

The cooked meat and onions added to the mixing bowl.

Add the cooled meat to the egg mix.

The pasta added to the mixing bowl to make spaghetti pie with.

Add the pasta to the mix.

The pasta mixed into the egg and meat mixture.

Stir everything well so the pasta is well coated in the mix.

Transferring the pasta to the casserole dish for baking into spaghetti pie.

Transfer the spaghetti mixture to a 9×13 baking dish.

Flattening out the pasta in the casserole dish with the back of the spatula.

Flatten the noodles with the back of the spatula and compress the noodles gently.

The parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top of the unbaked spaghetti pie.

Sprinkle parmesan over the top of the spaghetti pie. If you want, you can add extra shredded mozzarella cheese as a top layer.

The finished, baked spaghetti pie, still uncut and in the casserole dish.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. There should be no liquid (egg white) visible when you cut into the middle of it.

Storage

Keep this in the dish you baked it in, and after it has cooled down, wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in the fridge. If you need to remove it from the baking dish, simply transfer it to an airtight container. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing Spaghetti Pie

This will freeze well, if packed well, for up to 2 months.

Reheating Spaghetti Pie

If frozen, thaw for a full 24 hours in the fridge first.

Reheat servings in the microwave or in the oven. If using the oven, you’ll want to cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Recipe Supplies For This Spaghetti Pie Recipe

You’ll need a casserole dish or a good pie plate. My recommendations are these:

More Healthy Italian Recipes

Copyright button.

Spaghetti Pie Recipe Card + Video

A slice of spaghetti pie in a white bowl.

Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Nobody can pass up a delicious pan of spaghetti pie. Serve with a green salad and you’ve got a full meal!
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 217kcal

CLICK TO WATCH THIS RECIPE IN ACTION!

Equipment

  • 9 x 13 casserole dish (or close to that size)

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. oil
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 cup chopped red onions
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning (recipe link above or found in the spice aisle)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 28 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes (or diced tomatoes – no sugar added)
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese (+ extra for topping)
  • 1 lb. whole grain spaghetti (cooked and drained)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350℉.
    An oven display set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Warm the oil in a large skillet.
    Warming oil in a skillet
  • Add the meat to the warmed pan.
    Ground meat added to skillet.
  • Add the onions.
    Adding chopped onions to the ground meat.
  • Fully cook the meat and onions and set aside to cool slightly.
    Cooking the meat and onions until the meat is fully cooked.
  • Crack your eggs in a large bowl.
    4 cracked eggs sitting in a large mixing bowl.
  • Whisk until mostly smooth.
    The eggs sit whisked in the mixing bowl with the whisk still sitting in the bowl.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes to the eggs.
    The crushed tomatoes added to the eggs.
  • Add the grated parmesan to the eggs and tomatoes.
    The grated parmesan added to the eggs and tomatoes in the mixing bowl.
  • Add the spices to the mixing bowl too.
    The spices added to the mixing bowl.
  • Whisk all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
    The egg mixture all whisked together.
  • Add the cooled meat to the egg mix.
    The cooked meat and onions added to the mixing bowl.
  • Add the pasta to the mix.
    The pasta added to the mixing bowl.
  • Stir everything well so the pasta is well coated in the mix.
    Transferring the pasta to the casserole dish for baking.
  • Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish.
    Transferring the pasta to the casserole dish for baking.
  • Flatten the noodles with the back of the spatula and compress the noodles gently.
    Flattening out the pasta in the casserole dish with the back of the spatula.
  • Sprinkle parmesan over the top of the spaghetti pie.
    The parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top of the pasta.
  • Bake 50-60 minutes. There should be no liquid (egg white) visible when you cut into the middle of it.
    The finished, baked spaghetti pie, still uncut and in the casserole dish.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives. Recipe originally posted on 1/12/11.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author. She is also a food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. She has helped thousands of people learn to cook simple, clean, and healthy foods in their own home kitchens. She lives in Maine and loves Elvis, sunflowers, and a good seafood chowder, as well as travel writing.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

63 Comments

  1. Ashley Dunham says:

    Can I make this ahead of time? Just like a few hours??

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Ashley – Yes. 🙂

  2. Lydia Bravo says:

    Made this over our snow in days.. LOVED it!!! Thanks so much for the awesome recipes!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lydia – My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

  3. Hi,

    How many calories are in a serving? From my end, I cannot see the nutritional information.

    Thank you,

    Cheyenna

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Cheyenna – I don’t have it for that recipe. It will vary based on the sauce used.

  4. Can you use liquid egg whites? Would it still be 8?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Danielle – I don’t use them, but you could. Though I have no idea how much that would measure out too. I’m sure the manufacturer’s website would say something about that. Worth a shot!

  5. I was really excited to try this recipe because my son is allergic to dairy. Are we supposed to cover it while it bakes because I only cooked it for 40 minutes and it was crispy on top. Also I didn’t think it had enough sauce. It seemed kind and dry inside. I want to try this recipe again but will add more sauce and cover it next time.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tanya – Ya, I’m thinking that the amount of sauce needed might vary slightly by the pasta you use. You absolutely can cover it while it bakes, but I didn’t because I like the crispy top. Just a personal preference. Glad it might work for you though!

  6. Have you ever froze this recipe before the baking process? Looking to prep it in advance.

    1. Jessica – I don’t recommend it. The pasta doesn’t do well in the freezer. At least not for longer storage. I’ve never tried freezing it for the short term.