Spaghetti Pie

A spin on traditional baked pasta, the cheesy and meaty layers make Spaghetti Pie our neighbor’s favorite meal!

Best Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Classic ingredients create a fun pasta dinner in a pie plate. We have several similar variations of pasta, sauce, meat and cheese from our Spaghetti Pizza to Crock Pot Lasagna.

The pie is notably different than other classic combinations as it is richer in flavor with more cheese and meat and has a lower ratio of pasta. Layers of deeper flavors makes this pasta pie very enjoyable!

While Spaghetti Pie is a staple meal at our neighbor’s house we wanted to test using slightly different ingredients to see if the original recipe could be improved.

All parties agree that ground beef is better than Italian sausage. The only point of differentiation in our opinions is the preference for cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.

Our most similar recipe is Baked Mostaccioli. That casserole has more basic ingredients, so using Italian or zesty sausage that comes with a generous amount of seasonings is more important. 

This same neighbor that will always use cottage cheese in her spaghetti pie also shared this Tomato and Garlic Ricotta Pasta recipe. So this proves her love of cottage cheese is situational!

What We Tested – Our Preferences

As a first time tester our family prefers ricotta cheese with the finer grain that blends more with the other ingredients.

Our neighbor has grown up eating spaghetti pie with cottage cheese and she will always stick to this as her all-time favorite version.

Ground beef or hamburger works better in this recipe than Italian sausage. Since there are more layers with other seasonings this recipe easily dresses up about any plain ground meat like beef, turkey or chicken.

Italian cheese and mozzarella cheese are interchangeable.  We prefer to stay away from yellow cheese like cheddar or Colby Jack.

We typically keep spaghetti sauce that is lower in sugar in the cupboard, but marinara or pizza sauce also work fine.

Ingredients Needed

• Spaghetti – We keep thin spaghetti on hand that works just as well as the traditional size.
• Eggs – Add a richness to the casserole and help the ingredients stick together.
• Butter – Go for the real dairy product, skip margarine for the best flavor.
• Cottage Cheese – Another layer of flavor, for a finer consistency use ricotta cheese instead.
• Ground Beef – Lean beef or another plain ground meat is the best option. Avoid spiced meat like sausage.
• Onion – Chop finely so that the flavor gently blends in each bite.
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Bell Pepper or Mushrooms – adding up to 1/2 cup of another chopped vegetable can be mixed in the sauce if desired.

How To Make Spaghetti Pie With Cottage Cheese

Cook and drain the spaghetti. Stir in slices of butter. Then add Parmesan cheese and one egg; stir. Leave in the pot while browning the beef.

In a deep skillet brown and drain beef. Add finely chopped onion and saute.

Add sauce and stir until warm.

Lightly coat a 9″ pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the spaghetti layer in the bottom of the dish.

In a mixing bowl combine cottage cheese and the remaining egg and spread over the spaghetti crust.

Spoon the cooked meat, onion and sauce into the pie pan.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake 5 more minutes until melted.

Serve this Spaghetti Pasta Pie warm with Cheesy Texas Toast and an Italian green salad!

Recipe Tips

• Sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top can add a more dynamic flavor.
• Don’t over fill the pie plate or it will boil over the edges while baking and make a mess. If you think this is possible then put a larger baking sheet on the oven rack underneath the rack your pie is on.
• The ricotta cheese holds together a bit more neatly in a slice than the cottage cheese with bigger pieces and more moisture.
• This spaghetti pie recipe freezes and reheats really well when double wrapped. Cut into individual sized portions before freezing.

More Easy Family Meals

Spam Fried Rice is a flavor skillet meal that fills the kids up!

Swiss Chicken Casserole is similar to our Pork Chop Casserole – both are so creamy and delicious.

Our Crock Pot Stew Meat recipe is flavorful and filled with mushrooms and rich flavor.