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When Monday starts with this One-Pan Cheesy Spaghetti Pie, you know your week is off to a great start.
Hey, hi! Happy Monday after a long, long weekend! Are you feeling refreshed and ready for the week, or tired from all the activity of the last few days? I’m somewhere in the middle, so today’s easy and cozy recipe of cheesy spaghetti is kind of a must.
I spent my Thanksgiving back in Cleveland with my mom’s side of the family, along with all of my siblings, three of the brother’s girlfriends, and Merle, the puppy. From my dad’s side, I also saw my Mimi (dad’s mom), some aunts and uncles, and my cousins you hear me speak of often (Maggie, Abby and Matt), two of whom flew in from San Diego. From the minute our plane touched down on Tuesday night, I literally didn’t stop working/cooking/running around until I got back on a plane early Friday morning. It was so nice seeing all of my family, but the trip left me a little on the exhausted side.
From grocery shopping late Tuesday night with my dad (honestly do not know what I would do without this guy), to being up early Wednesday for an Interview with my younger brothers, then straight back to my grandparent’s to cook…literally all day long (until about 10:30 pm). I baked some gluten free brownies with my little cousin, Lake (so cute!), then off to a surprise birthday party for my brother, Kai, then up early again to continue cooking on Thanksgiving. I had a quick pause for dinner, then back to the kitchen to clean with my dad and uncle, and finally some warm pie by the fire. Then it was off to bed and up early again to catch a flight out on Friday morning.
Again, it was a really great trip, but next time, I’m thinking everyone just needs to come to Colorado for Thanksgiving! My life would be made a million times easier if that was the case. Just saying.
As soon as I got home on Friday, I headed straight for the shower, finished up a few things, made some food, and headed off to bed.
Long story short, I’m still a little tired, and feeling like a one-pan pasta is just about all I can handle tonight. Anyone else with me or what? It’s a vegetarian meal, so it fits with meatless Monday, and l mean, it does have a whole jar of tomato sauce, so hey, there’s veggies!
Cool. Cool. Dinner solved…one-pan spaghetti pie!
Obviously.
Okay, for real though, let’s chat about this pasta. When I was growing up my mom would make what she called spaghetti pie. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling it’s a mid west kind of dish? To be honest, I don’t remember it being my favorite, but I know my mom loved it. She recently brought it back to my attention, and I thought it would be fun to turn it into an easy one pan pasta recipe. For whatever reason I remember mom’s recipe using red sauce, but she informed me…after I had already made this, that her recipe actually does not include red sauce, except to pour over top.
Ahh. But why?
The red sauce, to me, is what makes this pasta. So even though mom’s recipe may not call for red sauce, mine does, and I love it that way.
Here’s the basic run down. Simmer a little olive oil with garlic and herbs, add your red sauce, a little water, and your spaghetti. Boil until the spaghetti is just al dente. It’s important that the pasta still have a good bite to it because it will continue cooking in the oven. Next add ricotta, top with mozzarella, and bake. Then just add fresh herbs and eat, eat, EAT.
Simple. Easy. Quick. SO GOOD.
If you wanted to add something a little green to this, I’d recommend stirring in a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach or a couple of cups of chopped broccoli. I personally think either would be delicious, but one of my goals with this recipe was to make it one my brothers would actually eat, meaning no “weird” green stuff.
To sum things up, this recipe is great for a night when you need a delicious meal, but don’t feel like spending hours cooking.
And yes, I will be making this tonight. One, because pasta on Monday is always the right thing. Two, because I just need a cozy meal tonight. Three, because I have all the ingredients on hand. And four, because it’s ready in under an hour and I’m going to reserve the free time I will now have for decorating my Christmas tree…
Watch the How-To Video:
One-Pan Cheesy Spaghetti Pie
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 545 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 1 jar (24 ounce) marinara sauce
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- fresh basil and/or oregano, for topping
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 2. In a large 12-inch (or larger) oven-safe saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring, often until the garlic is golden and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the marinara sauce, 2 cups water, and season with salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti, breaking it in half if needed to make it fit in your pan. Increase the heat to heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the spaghetti is al dente, about 8-10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, and parmesan. 4. Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in the ricotta cheese mix. Top with mozzarella. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with fresh basil. EAT!
Monday night has never been so exciting.
We absolutely love this meal! We don’t have an oven safe pan so after the spaghetti is cooked, we stir in the ricotta mixture and transfer to a baking dish! We love adding sautéed mushrooms as well for more veggies. We’ve made this multiple times and will continue to do so. Thank you!
Hey Sara,
Happy Monday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
This was just alright for us.. That being said, it was super easy and feeds a lot of people, but it’s just not a texture my family preferred-may be great for you if you don’t mind this type of soft texture because it’s still very tasty.
Hey Ani,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Already did two of your one pot recipes and one of the desserts you reco! Ahhh you’re an angel. For this recipe, I have few questions. Can I simply sub angel hair for spaghetti? Also I don’t have ricotta on hand, can I use sour cream + cream cheese? Lastly, can I use basilico sauce instead of marinara? Would love to hear from you. Happy holidays!
Hey Lola,
Thanks so much for giving the recipes a try! Yes, you can certainly use angel hair, I would use mascarpone or cottage cheese in place of the ricotta. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Looking forward to trying this recipe tonight! The video shows you removing the garlic, is there a reason why? We love our garlic! Someone also commented that you added mozzarella with the egg mixture.. is that the case? Or just the Parmesan and ricotta with the eggs?
Hey Laura,
You can totally leave the garlic, I would recommend mincing it just so you don’t have whole glove in your pasta. I did add mozzarella, you can do that too or just use Parm, it is really up to you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I’m a little confused because the recipe says to put the mozzarella on top but the video shows the mozzarella mixed with the egg and ricotta mixture. So i put it in both places and it worked!
Haha so happy this turned out so well for you, Karen! Thank you! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan! My husband and I love your recipes – we make something from your cookbook or website at least twice a week! I tried this one for the first time last night and had high hopes. Everything looked right up until pulling it out of the oven. When I went to serve it wasn’t as saucy/ creamy as we imagined based on pictures. The only thing I changed was using whole wheat spaghetti over regular. We also found the full teaspoon of red pepper flakes to be a bit overwhelming, but that’s definitely personal preference and something we can easily change! I’m going to try this one again in a few weeks and tweak the oven time to see how it turns out. All in all, still really good just one we’ll tweak on the next go!
Hey Casey,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I am so sorry it wasn’t as creamy/saucy as you would have liked. I haven’t tested this with whole wheat noodles but maybe try regular next time? It definitely is super cheesy but not intended to be incredibly saucy:) I hope this helps! xTieghan
So. How about some veggies?
I think they will go great with this! Is that what you are asking? xTieghan
This is a family favorite and I make it for company all the time. It is one of the most requested dishes.
Thank you so much Lee! xTieghan
If I wanted to have meat in this, would I just cook my ground beef with the olive oil and garlic/herbs? Drain it first obviously 🙂
Hi Kelly,
Yes that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Parmesan is not vegitarian. It comes from a dead calf.
Parmesan isnt vegetarian it requires renit which comes from a dead calf.
Wow I had no idea! Thank you so much for letting me know this Luna! xTieghan
This was so delicious!!! My husband and I loved it! I recently discovered your blog and instagram and it’s safe to say I’m low key obsessed with your recipes! Thank you!! : )
Hi Kelsey! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
Oh and one more question; do I still add 2 cups water if the serving size is just 2 of us?
HI! Are you adjusting the measurements to serve only 2? What are the measurements?
I’m making this tonight for my husband and I; can I do this in a Dutch oven? I don’t have a 12 in skillet. I was thinking my cast iron pan but it’s only 9inches.
HI! Yes, a large dutch oven will work well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Sooo easy, sooo good! Thank you for this simple and tasty recipe!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Leenie! xTieghan