1. Spaghetti Pie
Yield: 4 servings with 3 protein exchanges, 1 bread, 1 1/2 fat, 1 vegetables.
“Crust” Ingredients
- 2 cups thin spaghetti, cooked
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
Filling Ingredients
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, part-skim
- 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced red or green pepper
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 5 ounces cooked and drained ground beef (weight after cooking)
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with liquid, or 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for crust in a bowl. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Spread pasta mixture evenly over the bottom and up the side of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Carefully spread ricotta cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust.
- Heat oil or butter in a skillet. Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic.
- Add ground beef, tomatoes, tomato paste. Simmer on low for 45 minutes to soften meat. Add a little water if needed.
- Spread mixture over ricotta and pasta.
- Bake 30 minutes.
- Distribute mozzarella over pie and heat until cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before cutting.