Spaghetti Pie

My girls favorite dinner is spaghetti. Its easy for me to brown some hamburger, open a jar of Ragu, and boil some noodles but its not very exciting. So I searched for something not as labor intensive as lasagne but better than regular old spaghetti and I found it! Spaghetti Pie. The tomato sauce is homemade and it has 4 different cheeses. It isn't dry at all. Its creamy and saucy. Its a meal your family will be begging to have all the time. I know cause mine does.

Spaghetti Pie
Recipe Source: MelsKitchenCafe.com

12 oz Thin Spaghetti Noodles
1 lb lean Ground Beef
1 small Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
16 oz Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Lightly spray a 10-inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook noodles to al dente in salted water. While the noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet over med-high heat, brown the ground beef. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue stirring to break up the meat, until the meat is cooked. Remove from the heat and drain the grease. Return the skillet to medium heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano. Simmer the sauce over medium or medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

3. When the noodles are done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Quickly stir in the cream cheese and toss the noodles until its mostly melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Toss so the noodles are evenly coated. Stir in 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce. Keep the rest of the red sauce warm on the stove.

4. Pour the noodles into the pie plate and using a spatula, press the noodles into the dish so they are tightly pressed together and are flat on the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese on top.

5. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes, until hot and the cheese on top is golden. Let the dish rest for 15 minutes. Serve with remaining spaghetti sauce.