Savory Pies

I'm jealous of my neighbor who gets to look at this every day.

I am not a fan of corn. But still I give it a chance. That's because of it's beautiful shape and color, the fact that it's a summer staple, and--decobbed--my son will eat cups of the stuff. I'd been seeing a recipe for Tomato and Corn Pie pop up on several of my favorite food blogs, here and here. At first I was turned off by it because of the corn, but I continued to think it over and soon couldn't get it out of my mind. I had to try it. Maybe it was the biscuit crust or the fact that it's a one "pot" meal, something for which I'm a sucker. What's more, I like the notion of making this dish earlier in the day and then simply pulling it out of the fridge and baking it at dinner time. Same goes for the Spaghetti Pie. It takes the stress out of dinner time when you don't have to toil and fuss in the kitchen. I suppose you could even assemble these dishes the night before and stash them in the fridge to bake the next evening.

I conservatively adapted the recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches (second link above), who in turn adapted it from the Gourmet magazine version. I included fine ground cornmeal in my biscuit dough, a perfect complement to the corn kernels inside the pie.

While I can't take credit for the actual idea, the Spaghetti Pie is my own creation and can be modified in numerous ways. It's great for using up leftover spaghetti and I imagine virtually any other type of leftover pasta (though the large tubular shape of, say, penne could make it tough to get flat in your pie plate or spring form pan). After all, the goal here is to shape the pasta to the bottom and sides of your pan so you can add filling in the middle. I didn't have too many pizza or pasta-type ingredients on hand but found an unopened package of Canadian bacon slices in the back of my fridge along with a box of fresh mushrooms. I also went to the freezer and removed a bag of chopped, frozen spinach to add some greenness to the dish.

Spaghetti Pie is not the best meal you'll ever have but it's enjoyable to make, easy to prepare in advance, and fun to eat.

Spaghetti Pie

1 pie plate or 9" or 10" spring form pan

3-4 cups leftover (or cooked and cooled) spaghetti - eyeball how much will fit in your pan

1.5 T melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/2c grated Parmesan

1c cottage cheese (you could try substituting ricotta if you prefer)

1/4c sliced mushrooms

6-8 slices of Canadian bacon

1/2c chopped, frozen spinach (or 1c fresh baby spinach)

2T fresh basil, chopped (optional)

1-2c spaghetti sauce (depending on how dry or saucy you like your pie)

3/4c mozzarella

1. Mix spaghetti with butter, eggs, and Parmesan.

2. Form into pan pushing pasta up the sides; make a well in the center.

3. Add cottage cheese and layer on the toppings: mushrooms, Canadian bacon, spinach.

4. Pour over spaghetti sauce and top with mozzarella and basil. (Alternatively, mix the basil with the pasta before molding in the pan).

5. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes.

Note: I also thought this dish could benefit from some sauteed onions or garlic. Incorporate them where you see fit.